Traffic approaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge connecting Virginia’s western and eastern shores slowed to a halt late in the evening on Wednesday as an over-turned tractor-trailer teetered on the edge of the narrow bridge.
Reports from just before 9 p.m. reported eastbound traffic was backed up over two miles as authorities attempted to safely clear the overturned vehicle for passing motorists. Motorists on the bridge at the time of the accident were permitted to pass through a narrow lane until traffic was halted completely. Massive delays in both directions were reported in the hours after the incident.
The bridge, often simply referred to as the “Bay Bridge,” is over four miles long and is often subject to crosswinds during marginal weather. Crosswinds are particularly dangerous to semi-trucks and trailers with light loads.
Unpredictable thunderstorms swirled in the area throughout the day on Wednesday, offering a likely cause of the accident. The Bay Bridge, accessible by Route 50, has seen several major accidents since its construction in 1952. The most recent fatality occurred in 2008 when a tractor-trailer collided head-on with another motorist.
UPDATE: Traffic is getting by slowly in one lane..: after this tractor trailer overturned on the Bay Bridge. Storms were moving through at the time and may have caused the truck to flip. The driver is reportedly okay. @fox5dc pic.twitter.com/nKCg8ljcvo
— ShawnYancy (@Fox5Shawn) August 1, 2019
Eastbound Rt 50 delays approx 2 miles approaching the Bay Bridge toll plaza, single file onto the westbound span to get into #KentIsland as a result of the overturned tractor trailer #breaking #mdtraffic pic.twitter.com/upbWtGF9PZ
— Brad Freitas (@Chopper4Brad) August 1, 2019
#BreakingNews a tractor trailer has tipped over and is leaning on the side barrier of the Chesapeake #BayBridge, the eastbound span is CLOSED, westbound is providing two-way operations #mdtraffic pic.twitter.com/nGgwgWZpNk
— Brad Freitas (@Chopper4Brad) August 1, 2019
UPDATE: The truck was cleared and all lanes reopened to traffic around midnight, nearly four hours after the accident. No injuries were reported.
