The eastbound lanes of Interstate 94 in Albertville, Minn., were shut down for hours Thursday morning after a crash involving two semitrailer trucks.
One of the trucks spilled a load of potatoes on the road. A few other cars hit the debris and the spuds, said Sgt. Jesse Grabow with the Minnesota State Patrol.
The crash occurred near Exit 201 at about 4:45 a.m., Grabow said. No one was seriously injured.
The mishap led to a lengthy traffic backup as motorists were funneled onto a bypass lane serving exits 202 and 201 in Albertville.
The Minnesota Department of Transportation warned drivers of a prolonged closure of the freeway shortly after the crash.
“The potatoes are freezing to the pavement,” a spokesman in the agency’s Regional Traffic Management Center said. “We are going to have to get some equipment out there.”
Front end loaders were seen scooping up the potatoes after the wreckage was cleared. Lanes reopened at about 9:45 a.m. The westbound lanes were unaffected and remained open.
