NEXT Drive Alert: 230+ crashes and spinouts overnight amid icy road conditions
MINNEAPOLIS -- WCCO has issued a NEXT Drive Alert after freezing rain overnight led to widespread slick conditions. Multiple schools are reporting delays.
Metro Transit suspended its bus service Wednesday morning due to icy road conditions, but shortly before 8:30 a.m., started releasing buses from garages to restore service. The light rail and Northstar service is operating as usual.
The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority is also suspending service due to compromised roads.
RELATED: School closings & delays
The Minnesota State Patrol says, between 9:30 p.m. Tuesday and 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, there were 120 crashes and 116 spinouts, along with 19 jackknifed semis. Ten of the crashes included injuries, but there were no serious injuries or fatalities.
Between 7:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., there were 82 crashes, 17 of which resulted in an injury. There were 85 vehicle spin-outs and three jackknifed semis.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport says aircraft continue to be de-iced, which will likely impact departure times. The airfield is operational and runways are open.
Icy conditions extend to Wisconsin as well; authorities say that the northwestern part of the state is covered in slippery stretches. Officials are asking drivers to increase their follow distance to give cars extra time to stop.
