Highway 24 Bridge to Close Overnight Over I-94
Crews will close the Highway 24 bridge over I-94 in Clearwater nightly while placing beams for a new bridge at the interchange.
Updated on Nov. 13, 2026 in Construction
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The Minnesota Department of Transportation will close the Highway 24 bridge over I-94 in Clearwater overnight from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Both directions of I-94 will be reduced to one lane each direction from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. during the closures.
Why it matters
The closures are needed so crews can place bridge beams for the new bridge at the Highway 24 interchange. Drivers in Clearwater should expect diversions and plan alternate routes during overnight hours.
The interchange project costs $17 million, and the Highway 24 bridge closes nightly from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. while I-94 drops to one lane in each direction from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. The extraction does not state how many nights the schedule will run beyond the week of November 16, 2026.
The players
Minnesota Department of Transportation
The state agency responsible for planning, building and maintaining Minnesota's highways, interstates and bridges, including the Highway 24 interchange project in Clearwater.
The details
Traffic is diverted off the interstate and back on using the interchange ramps. Eastbound I-94 traffic has access only to southbound Highway 24, and westbound I-94 traffic has access only to northbound Highway 24, and drivers cannot cross or access I-94 ramps during the closure.
Timeline
Monday night, week of November 16, 2026: overnight Highway 24 bridge closures begin.
Through Thursday morning, week of November 16, 2026: overnight closures end.
Fall 2027: the new bridge is scheduled to open.
Market Landscape
The $17 million Highway 24 interchange work is part of Minnesota's staged reconstruction of the I-94 corridor, with this phase moving from earlier preparation into beam placement for the replacement bridge. Construction contractors working on the corridor are advancing it in overnight windows to limit daytime disruption on the interstate.
Drivers using I-94 near Clearwater should expect single-lane traffic from 8:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. and plan for diversions through the Highway 24 interchange ramps. Eastbound and westbound I-94 travelers will need to use the specific Highway 24 ramps available to their direction during the closures.
The takeaway
Overnight closures are a temporary cost of building the new bridge, so checking your route before evening travel will save time during the work window.
What happens next
The new Highway 24 bridge is scheduled to open in fall 2027, and a lengthy detour will be posted ahead of the work.
Further reading
Explore more construction projects affecting roads and bridges across the region.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KDHL AM 920.
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