A rollover crash had the southbound lanes of a northeast metro freeway closed for more than an hour this morning and afternoon.
A vehicle overturned and landed in the center median of southbound I-35E at 80th Street, just south of the Forest Lake Split around 11:45 a.m., according to MnDOT's Regional Transportation Management Center. Lanes reopened at 12:45 p.m.
There was no immediate word if anybody was hurt, but an air care helicopter was on the scene at 12:30 p.m.
Southbound motorists approaching the Forest Lake Split on I-35 are being warned to use I-35W.
One northbound lane of 35E remains open.
Southbound traffic is backed up and stopped about one-half mile from the crash site. Earlier drivers were using emergency turn arounds to make U-turns to get out of the gridlock. A state trooper has since blocked that escape route.
This is the second rollover to tie up traffic in the metro since 10:30 a.m. Earlier a car flipped over on westbound I-94 at Mounds Blvd. in St. Paul and blocked traffic for about 20 minutes.
