A freeway ramp in Maple Grove was closed for several hours Tuesday morning after a semitrailer truck carrying turkeys overturned around 4:30 a.m. and blocked the exit ramp.

Officials from the Minnesota Department of Transportation said the ramp from northbound Interstate 494 to eastbound I-94/694 reopened around 10 a.m..

Northbound I-494 traffic was directed to westbound I-94, which led to ramp jams at the Weaver Lake Road exit, which commuters used to access eastbound I-94.

That in turn snarled traffic on the eastbound lanes as far back as 101st Avenue N. during the peak of the morning rush.

All lanes on eastbound I-94/694 to southbound 494 remained open.

No one was injured in the crash, but it wasn't clear if any of the turkeys were killed or injured, officials said.

A truck hauling turkeys overturned in Maple Grove early Tuesday. No one was injured. It was unclear whether any birds were killed, officials said.

Tim Harlow