Tuesday's commute got off to a rocky start for northbound Cedar Avenue drivers when an early crash took out two lanes on the Minnesota River bridge. The wreck around 6 a.m. created gridlock for about 25 minutes as traffic ground to a halt at Diffley Road. Once things cleared out, Cedar returned to the normal conditions.
Southbound 35E saw a crash at Maryland Avenue around 7:15 a.m. created a few problems for commuters heading through the work zone. The short-lived mishap tied up traffic back to Little Canada Road.
The remainder of the rush saw pockets of congestion and a handful of crashes, but no major delays anywhere on the system.
Metro Transit buses that normally run on Nicollet Mall are operating on Hennepin Avenue this morning and afternoon. The Red Carpet Parade in association with today's All-Star Game at Target Field is the reason for the changed routes.
Keep in mind a number of streets that intersect with Nicollet Mall will be closed from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Those closures are west of 6th Street. Use 6th street, 4th Street or Washington Avenue to cross Nicollet.
At present, look out for a wreck on northbound 35W at 98th Street. The center lane is blocked and debris is littered across the road.
That's it for Tuesday. I'll be back Wednesday with more live reports. And as always, check out the blog for traffic-related news. Questions always welcome at drive@startribune.com
