Businesses happy that Downtown to Crosstown is complete

The Minnesota Department of Transportation encouraged people to celebrate the completion of the 35@94 Downtown to Crosstown project Sunday.

After four years of sporadic road closures, the neighborhood and businesses have renewed access to the freeway, featuring new enhancements, like the Midtown Greenway connection.

Local business owners are happy to have traffic flow back to normal, especially as construction had negatively impacted their bottom line.

"A lot of people that come from North Minneapolis, Brooklyn Center, from that area down there, they come a tell us ‘oh we don’t come because of traffic’ they just avoid it," Elizabeth Cruz, Owner of Fuentes de Sodas Vikky, said.

The street fair, complete with food, games, music, shopping and a walking tour of the improvements, was a way for the community to celebrate the new life MnDOT brought to the area.

The completed project includes 11 new bridges, new ramps that increase access to Lake Street businesses, concrete repair to the 50-year-old interstate, a new E-ZPass lane and more access for pedestrians and bicyclists alike.

The ramp from I-35W northbound to I-94 westbound is open again, too, and a transit station at Lake and 31st street will open later this year.