I-94 gets shut down by debris

Shortly after 6am, calls began coming into dispatchers reporting debris on the road on EASTBOUND I-94 between Westnedge Avenue and Portage Road. One report said as many as 15 cars were disabled at the side of the freeway.

The first Portage Police Department cruiser through the area confirmed the reports as the officer ticked off the number of disabled vehicles he saw: "... five, no, six. Um, seven..."

Something had fallen off a truck, a pallet maybe. And whatever it contained was puncturing tires.

The officer quickly requested the eastbound lanes be shut down.

The freeway remained closed for an hour, when the far left lane was opened to traffic. But one lane can't handle the volume that is used to three lanes, to traffic backed up to US-131 for most of the morning.

All eastbound lanes were finally opened at 8 a.m.