Police and tow trucks were put through their paces Wednesday morning as snow made for slick roads and scores of crashes.

The early morning snow sent vehicle skidding into guard rails, cable medians and into each other with the worst of the crashes in the southwest and south metro. But even commuters in the northeast metro encountered snarls.

Among the worst wrecks occurred on the Crosstown at 34th Avenue. The eastbound lanes were blocked with a multi-car crash. That was just one of many on the Crosstown, which at times resembled a demolition derby between Xerxes Avenue and 43rd Avenue.

Icy conditions forced the State Patrol and MnDOT to reduce northbound Hwy. 169 to a single lane just after 6 a.m. when three separate crashes between Canterbury Road and the Bloomington Ferry Bridge blocked traffic.

At 9 a.m., MnDOT was reporting 14 active crashes on metro area roads. There were several other additional crashes.

Weather was not having much impact on public transit. Metro Transit spokesman Howie Padilla said buses and trains were running on time without incident.

At the airport, the weather was not having much impact and security lines were moving quickly, said Patrick Hogan, a spokesman for the MSP Airport.

The slow going is likely to persist for the next several hours as snow continues to fall.

Here is the current list of mishaps as reported by MnDOT:

414 Crash on Mainline I-494 EB @ Pilot Knob Rd Left lane blocked Wed @ 08:01 107 Crash on Mainline T.H.62 EB E of 34th Ave Right shoulder blocked Wed @ 08:04 123 Crash on Mainline I-494 WB @ T.H.62 Left shoulder blocked Wed @ 08:36 438 Crash on Mainline I-494 WB @ T.H.55 Right shoulder blocked Wed @ 08:40 326 Crash on Mainline U.S.169 SB Left lane blocked Wed @ 08:38 408 Crash on Mainline I-494 EB @ 7th Ave Left shoulder blocked Wed @ 08:41 716 Crash on Mainline I-694 EB E of T.H.61 Right lane blocked Wed @ 08:14 433 Crash on Mainline I-494 EB @ T.H.7 EB Right lane blocked Wed @ 08:29 417 Crash on Mainline I-494 EB @ T.H.77 SB Left lane blocked Wed @ 08:37 116 Crash on Mainline T.H.62 EB @ Valley View Rd Right lane blocked Wed @ 07:26 616 Crash on Mainline I-35W NB @ I-35W CD NB Left shoulder blocked Wed @ 08:47 396 Crash on Mainline T.H.212 WB @ City West Pkwy Right lane blocked Wed @ 08:58 320 Crash on Mainline U.S.169 NB @ Anderson Lakes Pkwy Left shoulder blocked Wed @ 08:50