Commuters didn't have to dodge too many accidents Tuesday, but congestion reared its ugly head, particularly during the 7:45 to 8:30 a.m. time period.
That's when drive times shot up on routes including I-494 in Plymouth and Bloomington, southbound 35W from Lino Lakes to downtown Minneapolis and northbound 35E from 494 to Grand Avenue in St. Paul.
Earlier in the rush, drivers on westbound 94 from White Bear Avenue to downtown St. Paul got caught in snarls that added 10 minutes to the normal drive time.
One crash that did affect traffic was on Hwy. 169 at the I-94 interchange in Brooklyn Park. The left-lane blocker had traffic tied up for about 30 minutes around 7:30 a.m. and stacked up to north of Hwy. 610.
With river crossing on Hwy. 41, Hwy. 101 and County Road 9 back open, commuters on Hwy. 169 and 35W dealt with less traffic than in weeks past, and minor slow downs crossing the Minnesota River.
That's it for Tuesday. I'll be back Wednesday with more live traffic blogs.
