The Wednesday morning rush hour started on a quiet note and it ended that way. In between, it was chaotic and congested on many mainline routes.
At one point, MnDOT had up to eight crashes on its list of crashes. Among them was a wreck on northbound I-35W at 26th Street right around 7 a.m. started the action and the tieups. That wreck has cleared and traffic is getting back to near normal levels at this hour.
True to form, eastbound 94 plugged up between Albertville and St. Michael just after 6 a.m. In a bit of a surprise, Hwy. 101 was near gridlock about the same time from Otsego down to Rogers. Commuters will still find some slowing in both locations at this hour.
In the northern suburbs, the drive on southbound 35W was a frustrating affair, even though the only incident was an early crash at County Road 10. And it didn't last long. Still, congestion made for 30 to 40 minute drives from the Forest Lake Split to downtown Minneapolis.
On westbound 694, a crash at Hwy. 252 sat on the right shoulder for nearly an hour, and the long-term effect was felt back at 35W. The wreck cleared around 8 a.m. but traffic has been slow in recovering. Expect to use the brakes between Silver Lake Road and Hwy. 100.
West metro drivers had to navigate Hwy. 5 through Eden Prairie without the aid of traffic lights.
A big dose of good news came for I-35E drivers. Three lanes on the southbound side opened this morning between Little Canada Road and Maryland Avenue. That really helped traffic move swiftly.
