Tuesday afternoon's snow fall and a few flakes that fell overnight left roads greasy for Wednesday's morning commute, and that led to numerous crashes and spinouts. In turn, that caused massive traffic jams and increased drive times for almost everybody on the roads.

Commuters on southbound Hwy. 100 experienced the worst of things with several crashes tangling traffic from 6 a.m. to the present. Just as one crash would clear, a second or third popped up, keeping bumper to bumper condtions in place from Brooklyn Blvd. to the Crosstown.

At this hour, a rollover is blocking the left lane at the Crosstown. Crashes and stalls at 36th Avenue in Robbinsdale and at 50th Street are hampering the drive.

Commuters on southbound Hwy. 169 didn't fare much better as drive times were over the 40-minute mark between I-94 and Crosstown during the peak of the rush. Crashes at 49th Avenue and Minnetonka Blvd. are the latest to tangle traffic on the west metro highway.

The southwest metro had its problems too. At least three wrecks brought traffic to a stop on I-494. Both directions suffered between Hwy. 100 and Hwy. 212. At present, look for wrecks on both sides of 494 in the area of Prairie Center Drive/Hwy. 5.

The dangerous conditions have kept tow trucks and police busy. Here is what they are currently responding to:

  • Spinout and crash on westbound 394 at Penn Avenue
  • Southbound 169 at 49th Avenue and Minnetonka Blvd.
  • Eastbound 694 at Hwy. 61 in Maplewood
  • Eastbound 494 at 35E
  • Northbound 494 at Baker Road
  • Southbound Hwy. 100 at Crosstown. This is a rollover in the left lane. There also is a wreck on the right at 50th Street in Edina.
  • Westbound 94 at Franklin Avenue and ahead at 5th Street
  • Northbound 35E at Yankee Doodle Road in Eagan