It was another day of agony for drivers in the west metro as the three main north-south routes plugged up just after 7 a.m. and remain that way at this hour.
Overnight, MnDOT put a new lane configuration in place on Hwy. 100 between Cedar Lake Road and W. 36th Street, reducing the highway to two lanes in each direction. Northbound drivers didn't fare so bad with just minor setbacks, but southbound drivers inched along most of the morning from County Road 9/42nd Avenue through the work zone. The two lane configuration will be in place through fall of 2016.
The usual clot formed on southbound I-494 between Rockford Road and 394 while Hwy. 169 was jammed from Rockford Road down to Cedar Lake Road.
Crashes led to delays for drivers on northbound 35W heading into Minneapolis, with one just after 8 a.m. at 26th Street and Lake Street causing tight conditions between the Crosstown and downtown Minneapolis.
Metro Transit reported that a disabled freight train caused the reverse Northstar run to be delayed by 45 minutes. The agency said all inbound trains ran on time.
Late rush hour incidents currently affecting traffic:
Crash just clearing from left lane on southbound 35W at County Road 96 in Arden Hills
Crash on right shoulder of southbound 35W at Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis
