Snelling Avenue road closure extended

The Minnesota Department of Transportation is extending the closure of a half-mile stretch of Snelling Avenue in St. Paul between Ford Parkway and Montreal Avenue to late July.

The extended closure was blamed on rainy weather and delays in utility relocation. MnDOT officials said they hope to have Snelling, which is also Minnesota 51, reopen sooner.

The original closure was scheduled to run from 4 a.m. June 17 through 10 p.m. on June 21 to convert four-lane Snelling Avenue into two lanes between Ford Parkway and Montreal, while adding a center median with left-turn lanes at the median breaks. A new 10-foot-wide multi-use trail will be installed along the east side of the avenue.

The traffic signal at Snelling and Montreal will be replaced. Work is expected to wrap up by late

MnDOT will also resurface a half mile of Snelling Avenue between St. Clair Avenue and Grand Avenue. The work includes replacing the signal system at Snelling and St. Clair, building bump-outs and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant crossings at all intersections between St. Clair and Grand avenues.

Construction is anticipated to be complete in August.

For more information, visit tinyurl.com/Snelling2024.