Highway 169 Closure This Weekend for 36th Avenue Bridge Removal
The 36th Avenue bridge over Highway 169 in Plymouth is set to be demolished over the weekend. That will not only impact the weekend commute, but also local businesses.
Highway 169 will close in both directions between Interstate Hwy. 94 and Interstate Hwy. 394 this weekend. Those closures start at 10 p.m. on Friday, June 7, and end at 5 a.m. on Monday, June 10. After that, there will be no access to 169 from 36th Avenue.
Work on the bridge is already underway. The Minnesota Department of Transportation said on its website that workers are demolishing and rebuilding the bridge to make it taller and safer.
On the New Hope side of the bridge is a small strip mall, which houses Arizona Taco Co.
Arizona Taco Co. is one of a number of businesses affected by the bridge closure.
“The businesses here in this strip mall are going to, probably, I would estimate, at least probably lost 60 percent of their clientele,” said owner Marcos Ayala.
Though the bridge and its exit was already closed on June 6, the lunch rush was still intact. Ayala hopes people will find a way to the businesses on 36th.
“We’re here and we’re open,” Ayala said. “Same great customer service, same great food that we’ve been doing. I hope they do support us and come out!”
Ayala said while Hennepin County tells him it doesn’t have a plan in place to promote the businesses off the exit, New Hope offered to waive a sign fee advertising the business to redirect traffic.
Ayala hopes the businesses can band together to thrive while construction continues.
Work, per MnDOT, should finish in October.
