The George Washington Bridge was briefly shut down in both directions Thursday night after reports of a suspicious package being found, authorities said.
Port Authority says a they got word of the reported package around 9:45 p.m., and police shut down both the upper and lower sections of the bridge shortly after. The object in question was supposedly on the upper level near Fort Lee.
According to one social media user, Port Authority police walked through lanes of cars to tell them to prepare for a long wait. Just before 10:45 p.m., cops re-opened the lower level of the bridge to traffic, but the upper level remained shut down.
By 11:30 p.m., Port Authority ended the alert and traffic was able to move across the span connecting New Jersey and Upper Manhattan once again. NYPD had cleared the suspicious device, saying it was an "empty cylinder."
Traffic was completely halted all around the bridge, with gridlocked cars not allowed to move at the time of the investigation. All major roads and highways in the vicinity of the bridge were dealing with backups, and there were long residual delays at the bridge itself.
