Stopped Tractor-Trailers Block Area Roads

Disabled big rigs blocked part of two busy area roadways for hours this morning in two separate states.

An overturned big rig caused a big headache on the North-South Freeway (Route 42) near Interstate 295 in Bellmawr, N.J. around 9 a.m.

The Hamburg Sud tractor-trailer rolled onto its side on Route 42 southbound in between the overpasses for I-295, blocking all four lanes of traffic. Crews laid down sand to cleanup a subsequent fuel spill.

Other vehicles backed up along Route 42 all the way back to the Walt Whitman Bridge as they slowly inched onto I-295 to get around the wreck.

The driver suffered minor injuries, according to police.

Route 42 finally reopened around 12:15 p.m. as traffic began to slowly get by the scene but the backup remained.

That wasn't the first traffic nightmare caused by a big rig Friday morning. A tractor-trailer broke down diagonally across Harbison Avenue where it intersects the Roosevelt Boulevard (Route 1) in Northeast Philadelphia around 8:30 a.m.

The blue big rig came to a stop along Harbison where it intersects with the median between the different directions of the Boulevard.

As Sky Force10 hovered overhead it appeared the big rig, which was carrying 14 tons of cargo, was making a left from the southbound Boulevard onto Harbison when it stopped.

At least three Philadelphia Police cars surrounded the truck. One officer could be seen directing traffic around the vehicles.

Cars slowly got by on the Boulevard since just the way back of the 18-wheeler blocked the innermost lane and cars slowly made left turns with assistance of police.

Around 9:30 a.m. a tow truck moved the truck off the roadway.

Police didn't say what caused the truck to become disabled.

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