Thursday's rush hour served up a big headache for Hwy. 10 drivers in the northern suburbs as several crashes kept the highway moving at a snail's pace for much of the morning. Currently things are back to normal, but that was not the case around 6:45 a.m. when a three-vehicle crash prompted authorities to shut down the westbound lanes.
Traffic came to a standstill for about 45 minutes while the crash was cleaned up. Eastbound motorists felt the effects of crashes at Egret Blvd. and Airport Road. At times the trip from Anoka to 35W was more than 25 minutes as traffic inched along. The wrecks cleared just before 8, but it took a long time for traffic to recover.
In the east metro, two separate crashes on Hwy. 36 at Edgerton Street bogged down traffic in both directions between 7 and 8 a.m. Traffic was hardly moving on the eastbound side between Edgerton and Dale Street until things loosened around 8:15 a.m.
A new hot spot has popped up in Rogers. A multi-vehicle crash is blocking a couple lanes on eastbound 94 just east of Hwy. 101. Plan on big delays coming in from St. Michael.
In Minneapolis, eastbound 94 plugged up from the Lowry Tunnel past the work zone, which runs from Huron Blvd. to Hwy. 280. With a crash and the right lane closures, it's slow going all the way from Olson Hwy. Plan on 22 minutes to make that trip.
A smattering of crashes slowed traffic elsewhere, while other routes were clear sailing. In Burnsville, snow making make I-35 slick in the vicinity of Buck Hill. And a crash on northbound 35 at County Road 50 led to a long line up through Lakeville around 7:45 a.m.
That's it for today. I'll be back with more reports Friday. As always, questions and comments on Twin Cities transit and traffic issues are welcome at drive@startribune.com
