The driver of a dump truck had the misfortune of suffering a broken axel on the ramp from 394 to southbound Hwy. 100 and that created gridlock conditions for nearly an hour for commuters using southbound Hwy. 100 through St. Louis Park.
Crews got the truck out of the way just after 8:30 a.m. and traffic thinned out nicely. But while it was there, it made for a 30-minute drive from I-94 to the Crosstown.
In the east metro, wrecks and stalls on westbound 94 between 7 and 8 a.m. added extra time for motorists heading into downtown St. Paul and downtown Minneapolis. Mounds Blvd. was a bad spot as two crashes there, including one that blocked the left lane for about 20 minutes, hampered the commute.
Eastbound 394 had a couple hiccups between 7:15 and 8 a.m. as a pedestrian wandered into the HOT lane and caused a bit of consternation. A wreck about the same time period at Wirth Pkwy. added to the congestion and slowness. That has all been taken care of.
In the north metro, commuters on southbound 35W had to ease off the gas pedal as heavy traffic made the trip into Minneapolis longer than normal. Things got heavy around 6:45 and remained that way until 8:20 a.m.
No issues to report on Northstar or light-rail trains today. Buses ran on time.
Outside the metro, MnDOT opened Hwy. 169 in both directions between St. Peter and Mankato. It had been closed overnight due to flooding caused by heavy rains.
