Cross-Town Confusion

35W - Highway 62 Construction Zone

The third time this week that I found myself headed west on Crosstown, nearing 35W, I was ready: to continue heading west on Crosstown, you have to keep to the right.

Stay to the left, and you find yourself shunted onto 35W, heading north towards downtown Minneapolis (and several miles before the first exit to turn around).

Given that neither exit is marked, and that the under-construction, spaghetti junction where 35W and Highway 62 meet is especially chaotic now, and you'd guess that not a few local drivers have made the same mistake.

P.S.: another counter-intuitive exit is on 494 headed east towards the airport, where 494 and Highway 5 veer off from one another.

To pick up Highway 5 and go to the airport, you need to stay in the right lane.

Veer left, and you find yourself crossing the Minnesota River valley on the way to Eagan -- and very late for your plane.