Battle-weary commuters faced yet another challenge Wednesday: 90-minute delays on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge following an earlier accident between a tractor-trailer and a flatbed truck.
The Port Authority said the tractor-trailer hit the back of the flatbed in the eastbound lanes shortly before 3 a.m., and four hours later, delays remained crippling. The accident forced authorities to shut down the New Jersey-bound upper level and divert traffic to the lower level, which also had delays.
Traffic cameras showed vehicles moving at a crawl, though the early-morning fog made it difficult to see the congestion. It improved by mid-morning.
Commercial traffic was banned from the lower level at one point, requiring all trucks and such vehicles to find alternate routes like the Holland or Lincoln Tunnel, which also had a 90-minute delay to New York. City bus service was experiencing heavy delays as well.
Meanwhile, the Cross Bronx Expressway was backed up to the Bronx River Parkway, which is about a five-mile delay, because of the GWB congestion.
A photo tweeted by the union that represents Port Authority police officers showed the front of the tractor-trailer completely crushed, part of it still wedged under the back of the truck. There was no immediate word on possible injuries from the accident. The cause is under investigation.
Subways had problems, too. Jamaica-bound J trains were terminating at Crescent Street because of a train with mechanical problems at Cypress Hills. Broad Street-bound trains were running with delays. And as for the latest on the post-derailment havoc at New York's Penn Station, it's still a nightmare.
