New driving hazard for Minnesotans: hay in the highway

Minnesotans are accustomed to dealing with snow on the highway but on Thursday morning drivers on I-94 eastbound near Highway 34 near Snelling Avenue had to contend with a different type of hazard: bales of hay in the middle of the road.

(FOX 9) - Minnesotans are accustomed to dealing with snow on their highways in winter, but during State Fair season, drivers evidently should be on the lookout for a different type of road hazard: hay on the highway.

A semi-truck hauling hay had two spills on highways in the Twin Cities metro on Thursday morning. The first happened around 7:31 a.m., when the truck was going under a pedestrian bridge at Highway 36 and Snelling — the hay struck the bridge, with some of it spilling into the road, according to the State Patrol.

The truck kept going, however, and another hay spill occurred at Interstate 94 eastbound at Lexington Avenue, according to an MnDOT spokesperson.

MnDOT crews and troopers worked together to clear the debris by pushing the hay to the right shoulder and then taking it away. MnDot said both spills were cleared by 10 a.m.

No one was injured. The State Patrol and commercial vehicle inspectors are still investigating the crash. It's unclear where the truck was headed.