Editing Interstate 494 (section)

==History==
Construction on I-494 first began in the late 1950s, and it was finally completed in 1985. With the most recent expansion completed in November 2016 in [[Plymouth, Minnesota|Plymouth]], I-494 is now at least three lanes in each direction for its entire route.

A major reconstruction/widening project of I-494 was completed in late 2006 between [[U.S. Route 212 in Minnesota|US Highway&nbsp;212]] (US&nbsp;212)/[[Minnesota State Highway 5|MN&nbsp;5]] in [[Eden Prairie, Minnesota|Eden Prairie]] and Carlson Parkway at [[Minnetonka, Minnesota|Minnetonka]]–Plymouth. There were plans for up to six lanes in each direction for parts of I-494 in [[Bloomington, Minnesota|Bloomington]], but the majority of the city only sees four lanes and sees five in only two spots: eastbound at the East Bush Lake Road exit and further eastbound at the point where I-494 and MN&nbsp;5 separate from each other.

Expansion of the [[Wakota Bridge]] between [[Newport, Minnesota|Newport]] and [[South St. Paul, Minnesota|South St. Paul]] over the [[Mississippi River]] was completed in mid-2010. The bridge is named so because it connects [[Washington County, Minnesota|Washington]] and [[Dakota County, Minnesota|Dakota]] counties. Near the end of this effort, I-494 was widened from two to three lanes in each direction between Lake Road and I-94 in [[Woodbury, Minnesota|Woodbury]].

===Traffic===
Since its opening, I-494 has been subjected to numerous traffic problems, both eastbound and westbound. Vehicles eastbound usually start to slow down at the [[U.S. Route 169 in Minnesota|US&nbsp;169]] interchange in [[Bloomington, Minnesota|Bloomington]] and continues to slow at the interchange with [[Minnesota State Highway 100|MN&nbsp;100]], at the Bloomington–[[Edina, Minnesota|Edina]] city line. However, traffic is the worst at the interchange for [[Interstate 35W (Minnesota)|I-35W]], which is located at the Bloomington–Richfield city line.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bloomingtonmn.gov/eng/i-35wi-494-interchange-improvements |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180702093644/https://www.bloomingtonmn.gov/eng/i-35wi-494-interchange-improvements |archive-date=July 2, 2018 |title=I-35W/I-494 Interchange Improvements {{!}} City of Bloomington MN}}</ref> Currently, information about the study is on the City of Bloomington's website,<ref>{{cite web |title=I-494 and I-35W Study |url=https://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/i494and35winterchange/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016163757/https://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/i494and35winterchange/index.html |archive-date=October 16, 2020 |access-date=December 23, 2022 |website=[[Minnesota Department of Transportation]]}}</ref> with more information starting to come from the [[Minnesota Department of Transportation]] (MnDOT).<ref>{{cite web |title=I-494: Airport to Hwy 169 virtual open house |url=https://www.494openhouse.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128222751/https://www.494openhouse.com/ |archive-date=January 28, 2022 |access-date=December 23, 2022 |publisher=[[Minnesota Department of Transportation]]}}</ref> The plan is scoped between US&nbsp;169 to the [[Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport]]. The road sees over 500,000&nbsp;passengers per day, with it being congested for more than 30&nbsp;percent of the day. So far, MnDOT has determined to add [[E-ZPass Minnesota]] lanes eastbound from [[France Avenue]] to [[Minnesota State Highway 77|MN&nbsp;77]] and westbound from MN&nbsp;77 to I-35W. They also plan to construct a turbine-style ramp for northbound I-35W from westbound I-494. In an effort to reduce congestion on the highway and on exits as well, MnDOT is planning to close all ramps at [[Nicollet Avenue]] and 12th Avenue and construct a full-access interchange at County State-Aid Highway&nbsp;35 (CSAH&nbsp;35; Portland Avenue), with two onramps and two offramps to replace the ramps.<ref>{{cite web |title=6. Changes to Access — I-494: Airport to Hwy 169 |url=https://www.494openhouse.com/changestoaccess |publisher=[[Minnesota Department of Transportation]]}}{{dead link|date=December 2022}}</ref> Problems have been addressed throughout the entire corridor, with all the highways being included. Construction for the [[Metro Orange Line (Minnesota)|Metro Orange Line]] tunnel began in 2019 and is still currently underway. The rest of the corridor is still being studied, with plans for construction to begin between 2022 and 2024.{{Update after|2024}}