MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Major Snelling Avenue Closure Begins Friday Night Between Arden Hills and Roseville

ROSEVILLE, MN (October 2, 2026). Drivers traveling through the northern Twin Cities should prepare for a major weekend closure beginning Friday night as the Minnesota Department of Transportation shuts down southbound Highway 51 between Arden Hills and Roseville.

Southbound Highway 51 will close from Interstate 694 to Highway 36 through early Monday as MnDOT completes resurfacing work postponed by last weekend's rain.

The closure begins at 9 p.m. Friday and is scheduled to remain in place until 5 a.m. Monday, October 5, weather permitting.

Southbound Highway 51, also known along portions of the corridor as Snelling Avenue and Hamline Avenue, will be closed from Interstate 694 in Arden Hills to Highway 36 in Roseville while construction crews resurface the highway.

The work had originally been scheduled for the previous weekend but was postponed because of rain.

MnDOT says cross streets will also close temporarily while crews work nearby. Short-term closures are expected on the ramp and loop connecting southbound Snelling Avenue with eastbound and westbound Highway 36.

Residents living along the corridor between Asbury Avenue and Old Snelling Avenue/County Road 76 will still be able to reach their neighborhoods. MnDOT says contractor flaggers will be stationed in the area to guide residents in and out while work is underway.

The official detour directs southbound motorists east on Interstate 694, south on Interstate 35E and west on Highway 36.

Drivers who do not need to travel through the construction area may want to avoid the corridor altogether.

The timing is particularly important because the closure overlaps a busy Twin Cities weekend that includes the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and numerous fall festivals and events across the metropolitan area.

Northbound Highway 51 will remain available. MnDOT resurfaced those lanes earlier this year.

The agency expects final work on the broader Highway 51 improvement project to be completed by mid-October, although construction schedules remain dependent on weather and field conditions.

Motorists should allow additional travel time and check current road conditions before leaving home.
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