Wednesday's morning rush hour ends on a happy note as Maplewood Police announced that a missing Maplewood man who had not been seen since Tuesday was found alive. The 84-year-old man was walking in a rural area of southern Dakota County.
For commuters, congestion levels have dropped of quite a bit in the past 20 minutes. That's not the case on westbound 94, however. A crash at Cretin Avenue is still residing on the right shoulder, and the impact is being felt as far back as Dale Street.
Westbound 94 was a headache all morning as motorists from Woodbury to downtown St. Paul and Minneapolis sat in traffic longer than usual. Most of that was due to a stall at Hwy. 61, the aforementioned wreck at Cretin Avenue and a ramp jam on 11th Avenue in Minneapolis.
Westbound 694 had its issues with congestion for the middle portion of the rush, with 30 minutes needed from Century Avenue over to Hwy. 252. That drive is now down to a pleasant 19 minutes.
Northbound 35W saw crashes at Burnsville Pkwy. and Diamond Lake Road before 8 a.m. The result was crammed conditions from 66th Street to downtown Minneapolis. At present, things are rolling along nicely with minor congestion from Lake Street to I-94.
A stalled semi on the ramp from westbound 494 to southbound 169 had that ramp closed for about 45 minutes. It reopened before 7 a.m.
Look out for stopped traffic on northbound 35E at Roselawn Avenue. Traffic is hampered by a stalled car in the right lane ahead at Hwy. 36.
