A tractor trailer got stuck wedged inside the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel late Thursday morning, creating a traffic nightmare heading into and from lower Manhattan that appeared likely to last for hours.
The driver of the truck seemingly either didn't see — or ignored — the posted signage that clarifies tractor trailers are not allowed in the Hugh L. Carey Tunnel connecting Manhattan and Brooklyn, MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Catherine Sheridan said.
"This driver blatantly ignored numerous highway warning signs and a Bridge and Tunnel Officer who tried to stop it from entering the tunnel," said Sheridan. The MTA also noted that the tunnel the truck entered was marked closed, indicated by a large red "X" over the entrance.
The 18-wheeler was stuck in the Brooklyn-bound side of the tunnel, leading to a major backup on both sides of the tunnel. Traffic was backed up for miles in the early afternoon.
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The truck got stuck about a mile into tunnel, just over halfway through the 1.7-mile long tube, around 10 a.m., the MTA said. The truck was fully removed from the tunnel just after noon, officials said, with the help of a tow truck and deflating the truck's tires.
Officials said the Manhattan-bound tube did not fully reopen until after 3 p.m., an hours-long closure that could have heavy impacts on the evening commute.
The transit agency performed a structural inspection of the tunnel to get an idea of how bad the damages are, and deemed it structurally sound in order to reopen to traffic for the afternoon rush.
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The driver of the truck was issued a litany of summonses for traveling in the HOV lane, disobeying posted signs, being over-height, failure to obey an officer, driving with a flat tire and more. He was also driving an unregistered vehicle, investigators found.
The tractor trailer was carrying paint and had an additional load on the way to Port Washington, Long Island, at the time the trip was interrupted.
