State Patrol, MnDOT To Monday Motorists: Take It Slow

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The Minnesota State Patrol and Minnesota Department of Transportation want motorists to take caution on Monday, once the Christmas holiday is over.

A white Christmas turned a wet one on Sunday, making driving conditions dangerous in central and northwestern Minnesota.

"Folks need to slow down and drive according to what the road conditions are," Kevin Gutknecht with MnDOT said.

MnDOT's cameras caught several accidents during the freezing rain, including a semi-truck carrying 40,000 pounds of chocolate that tipped on its side along I-494 in Mendota Heights. No one was hurt in the accident.

Some holiday travelers weren't taking any chances, sticking close to home.

"We were supposed to go down to my wife's parents place down in the cities, opted not to with the weather the way it was looking coming up," Tom Skuelarek said.

The Stearns County Sheriff's Office temporarily shut down part of I-94 near St. John's University after several accidents on slippery roads.

Then, as Christmas Day continued, warmer temperatures and rain melted some snow and ice.

"The whole day, really the freeway itself, mainly traveled portion of roadway has been just wet," Mike Roach with the State Patrol said.

But the State Patrol warns warmer temperatures don't completely eliminate the threat of ice.

"All they have to do is travel a few miles and everything feels good and you get complacent and then you come around the corner or especially going across a bridge or taking a ramp and that's where you're going to find the problem," Roach said.

Crews will continue salting as needed, but MnDOT is reminding drivers to slow down because there could still be icy patches on the road that redevelop overnight and on Monday.