Hey! You’re blocking the (Twin Cities) road!

MnDot says Minneapolis St. Paul area freeway congestion is up.

It increased about three percent last year over 2009 numbers.

But be careful how you read the report. The numbers were calculated before the completion of the Crosstown Commons. That was the four-year-long, $288 million project designed to relieve congestion in the south metro. The engineers say it's working.

Another caveat. Yes, the economy and the population are growing and they are factors contributing to roadway congestion.

However the traffic engineers say the bigger picture when all causes are poured into the congestion cauldrom looks like this: roadway "incidents," including crashes, stalls and our interesting Minnesota weather can account on a given day for up to half the freeway delays.

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