Roads in better shape after icy morning commute

Twin Cities commuters and even those outstate should have an easier afternoon drive home on Tuesday, Jan. 6, than their morning trek to the office when freezing rain glazed roads and iced up highways.

“A unique start to the day,” said Minnesota Department of Transportation spokeswoman Anne Meyer.

Mainline roads were mostly dry or damp by early afternoon, but fog was hampering visibility in south-central Minnesota in an area from Red Wing to Albert Lea, where an advisory was in effect, the National Weather Service said.

As conditions improve, drivers should not drop their guard as temperatures hovered on either side of the 32-degree freezing mark.

“Expect some slick spots as the temperatures change,” Meyer said. That is especially true on ramps, bridge decks and intersections, she said.

Sideroads were still sloppy in many neighborhoods.

Overnight, rain moved across Minnesota and into Wisconsin. In some cases, drains were plugged with ice and snow, which caused ponding on some roadways, Meyer said.

At 5:45 a.m., mainline highways in the Twin Cities ranged from completely ice covered primarily on the west and north sides of the metro to partly covered on the east and south sides, according to MnDOT’s traffic incident map.

The State Patrol responded to six spinouts and crashes in the metro as of 5:45 a.m., including two on northbound Hwy. 169 near Pioneer Trail in Bloomington. Crashes started to diminish as the rain moved out of the area.

A section of Interstate 35 north of the metro was closed for a brief period overnight after a semi went off an icy road. The freeway has reopened.

A winter weather advisory remains in effect until 3 p.m. for the Wisconsin counties of Polk, Barron and Rusk, the Weather Service said.

“Temperatures will remain near freezing today, so untreated surfaces will be slick,” the Weather Service said, even though an official advisory in Minnesota was no longer in place.

Some school districts decided to start classes late. In and near the metro, they included Chisago Lakes, Forest Lake, Mahtomedi, Monticello, St. Francis, St. Michael-Albertville and Hudson, Wis.

Elk River called an e-learning day while North Branch closed for the day.