Today's rush hour was the tale of two extremes. Metro area commuters and those to the south of the Twin Cities clipped along with few problems. Those to the north were lucky to get where they wanted to go.
The frozen precipitation that fell across the far northern suburbs and exurbs turned road treacherous. Between 5 and 7 a.m., the State Patrol and other law enforcement responded to several rollovers and spinouts on Hwy. 65 in the Cambridge and East Bethel areas. I-35 between Forest Lake and North Branch was extremely bad. That stretch had many rollovers and crashes.
Glare ice forced MnDOT to shut down the Hwy. 8 bridge over Hwy. 61 for a short time.
Reports of mishaps are still rolling in at this hour, so use extreme caution if you are heading to places such as Chisago County, Hinckley and Duluth.
The metro area escaped most of the madness, but there were a few hiccups. A car hit a light pole on eastbound Hwy 10 and led to delays from Foley Blvd. back to Round Lake Blvd.
Late in the rush, a fender bender on northbound 35W at Franklin Avenue caused delays for drivers heading into Minneapolis. That crash is still on the right shoulder.
Commuting got better for those who use the southbound Lafayette Bridge. The work that was supposed to be in place until Sunday has been finished and all lanes reopened. That defininetly helped the traffic flow.
For those heading to the Mall of America, be aware that a construction project now has the ramp from Cedar Avenue to Lindau Lane closed until further notice. Get off on Killebrew Drive or go over to 24th Avenue to get to the mall.
