A freaky accident on eastbound 94 at Dale Street during the middle of the rush hour led to a massive tie-up for commuters in the Midway area. At one point traffic jammed as far back as Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis. The wreck cleared about an hour ago and traffic has recovered for the most part. Look for a slow pocket of traffic from Hamline Avenue to Lexington Pkwy.
Eastbound 94 also had issues up in Maple Grove with wrecks at 101st Avenue and Hemlock Lane during the 7 a.m. hour. That, along with congestion bogged down the commute from St. Michael to the Fish Lake split.
Southbound 35W in Blaine and Shoreview didn't have any accidents, but a stream of heavy traffic made for a arduous commute for most of the rush hour. Traffic jammed at Lexington Pkwy. and stayed tight down to Hwy. 280. That drive is still 23 minutes at present.
Fog hampered the drive over the Wakota Bridge for 494 drivers between 6:45 and 7:30 a.m. while a late-rush hour crash jammed northbound Hwy. 61 at 494 in Newport.
Northbound 35W from Burnsville to Minneapolis had its moments of good rides and then the bad. Things plugged up just after 7 a.m.. Some of that angst was caused by a rollover at the University Avenue ramp, which tied up traffic back to Hiawatha Avenue.
On the transit scene, Metro Transit celebrated the opening of its new Park & Ride facility on Hwy. 610 and Noble Pkwy. From there, new routes 768 and 766 will provide express service to Minneapolis. At the Paul Pkwy. Park & Ride, new Route 865 service from Ham Lake and East Bethel commenced.
