Rush hour lane closures halt I-94 commuters
Commuters on eastbound Interstate 94 in Minneapolis were greeted by some rare lane closures this morning after an overnight striping project didn't dry as quickly as construction crews had hoped.
The air was humid overnight, which caused problems for the striping crew, said MnDOT spokesman TK Kramascz. Paint was still not dry by the start of the morning rush hour, and traffic was forced to merge into one lane near I-94 and Hiawatha Avenue.
Two lanes have been open for an hour or so, but MnDOT's traffic monitoring website was still showing slowdowns at about the Lowry Hill tunnel, located a couple miles west of the construction area.
Kramascz says crews tried to avoid keeping lanes closed through rush hour but were concerned paint could splatter onto people's cars. He says all the lanes should reopen soon, so it shouldn't be an issue for people traveling this afternoon. I'll post an update when all lanes have reopened.
The day before Thanksgiving is traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year. The weather will help most metro-area travelers today — no snow or rain is in the forecast.
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