Commuters on Hwy. 100 got a slight reprieve when a planned traffic switch did not occur. MnDOT has said that the highway would be reduced to two lanes in each direction between Excelsior Blvd. and Cedar Lake Road for Monday's morning rush, but three lanes in each direction were open.
Eventually, traffic will be funneled over to the northbound side of the highway with traffic running in two lanes in both directions. The ramp from Hwy. 7 to northbound Hwy. 100 will close. Motorists will be able to access northbound Hwy. 100 at Excelsior Blvd.
In a traffic mitigation move, MnDOT also will close Westside Drive on the west side of Hwy. 100 south of the car dealership and there will be no access to Utica Avenue. The unscheduled closure is a result of too many drivers getting off Hwy. 100 to avoid the congestion and cutting through the adjacent neighborhood.
Construction held up drivers on southbound 494 through Plymouth and Maple Grove, but that is nothing new as this is the second week of the lane restrictions between the Fish Lake Interchange and Hwy. 55.
Both directions of Hwy. 169 sputtered most of the morning. Southbound was tied up from 77th Avenue down to 394 while northbound locked up from Minnetonka Blvd. to 394.
A trio of crashes on eastbound/southbound 694 at Century Avenue, Hwy. 36 and Hwy. 5 didn't cause too many issues. South metro drivers didn't hit any snags either.
That's it for today. I'll be back Tuesday with more live blogging. Questions and comments on Twin Cities traffic, story ideas, too, welcome at drive@startribune.com. Or just comment here.
