Protesters slow traffic on interstate

Traffic slowed to a crawl on Interstate 35 Monday morning as law enforcement officials responded to a 911 call reporting numerous individuals stopping and walking toward an active Enbridge Line 3 construction site in the median between the north- and southbound lanes.

Officers from the Carlton County Sheriff’s Office, Minnesota State Patrol and Fond du Lac Tribal Police Department along with members of the Carlton Ambulance and Fire responded to the scene.

No injuries were reported but numerous individuals were parked and standing on and around the interstate near the construction site and eventually dispersed. Three people were located inside a construction trench in the median and were arrested for trespassing on a below-ground pipeline. Three others were cited for making a non-emergency stop on an interstate. Five of six of those cited were from out of state.