With dry conditions, MnDOT finally got to work on I-35 between County Road 70 and County Road 50 in Lakeville, and that led to monolithic traffic jams that persisted throughout the rush. Commuters were needing 30 minutes or more to get from Elko up to the Burnsville Split.
Ahead, both 35W and 35E moved swiftly into either downtown, so once drivers got through the single lane configuration, they were able to pick up some time.
The road work on I-35 will remain in place for the next couple of weeks, MnDOT says.
The drama in the northeast metro was a dump truck pulling a trailer that caught fire on southbound 35E near Main Street. That occurred around 8:20 a.m. and forced authorities to block the right lane.
In Brooklyn Park, a Metro Transit support vehicle rolled over on the ramp from northbound Hwy. 252 to westbound Hwy. 610. The original report had it as a Metro Mobility bus that rolled over. The driver was taken to Mercy Hospital. The nature of the driver's injuries was unknown, a Metro Transit spokesman said.
Traffic in the area is starting to loosen up.
Eastbound 94 was knotted up between the Crow River and Rogers for the 7 a.m. hour, but things are flowing freely at this hour.
Across the rest of the metro, commuters experienced few problems as delightful road condtions helped keep traffic moving.
