VIDEO: Lakeville Police Visit Metro Traffic Center

Traffic in the Twin Cities can be a challenge, especially for residents traveling north into some of the most congested highways in the state.

And while the Minnesota Department of Transportation can't take cars off the roads, they can keep an eye on eveything that happens from its perch in the Metro Traffic Center.

In this month's episode of Lakeville PD, Officer Kevin O'Neill went on a tour of the facility.

Some fun facts:

• All freeway signs are controlled from the center
• There are more than 500 cameras, all monitored from the center, and each year MnDOT adds more
• Not only can responders see incidents, but the State Patrol management team is on the same floor, so emergency and incident response is easier

You can see all of MnDOT's traffic camers and get real-time traffic updates at the traffic center's website.