It's the speed up and slow down game playing out on southbound Hwy. 169, with speeds dropping from Rockford Road down to Medicine Lake Road and again from Cedar Lake Road to Hwy. 7.
Southbound 35E creeps along from north of County Road 96 down to County Road E. A van on the northbound side is stuck in the cable median barrier, and that is producing the gawking effect.
The Crosstown westbound from 35W to France Avenue and westbound 494 from Cedar to Hwy. 100 both drop speed, but that's only adding a minute or two to the drive.
Here are some current travel times:
North metro
Southbound 35W from 95th Avenue to downtown Minneapolis: 15 minutes
Southbound 35E from County 96 to I-94: 14 minutes.
Eastbound Hwy. 10 from Hwy. 169 to 35W: 13 minutes