Thursday's rush hour had enough crash action and congestion to keep commuters on the brakes. Particularly problematic were I-35W in the north metro and I-94 in the east metro.
A trio of crashes plugged 35W from Blaine to Roseville. Wrecks at Lexington Avenue, County Road I and Hwy. 280 had traffic nose to nose while a crash on I-94 in Lake Elmo parked traffic as far back as Hudson, Wis. Both routes have cleared out and are flowing nicely at this hour.
Drive times were elevated on northbound 35W from Crosstown to downtown for most of the morning. One crash at 26th Street added to the tight conditions.
Maple Grove drivers had to swerve around a wreck around 7:30 a.m. at Maple Grove Pkwy.
As you move around the metro area Thursday, here are a few closings that may affect your travels.
- The ramp from southbound Hilton Trail to westbound Hwy. 36 along with the right lane of Hwy. 36 at Hilton will be closed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
- The ramp from southbound Hwy. 252 to eastbound I-694 will be closed from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Look out for lane closures on I-35E in both directions between I-494 and Cedar Avenue through Bloomington and Eagan. At times the freeway will be down to one lane between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
