Southbound Hwy. 169 in Hopkins reopens after pileup of 20+ cars
Updated: 11:30 a.m. | Posted: 9:02 a.m.
A multi-vehicle crash created a messy morning commute on Friday in the Twin Cities.
Nearly two dozen vehicles were involved in a pile-up on southbound Highway 169 on the Excelsior Blvd bridge in Hopkins.
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The incident happened just before 6 a.m. and the Minnesota State Patrol had to shut down the southbound side of the highway for more than two hours to clear the wreckage. Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Tiffani Nielson says around 20 cars were involved in the incident.
Three people were injured and one was hospitalized. According to Nielson, none of the injuries was life-threatening. The State Patrol reports there were 165 crashes, 40 spinouts and 15 injuries across the state between midnight and 10 a.m. on Friday.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation says drivers should use extra caution on ramps and overpasses, where icy conditions are often the worst.
Cold weather is expected to last through the day with temperatures expected to reach a high of only 5 degrees.