POUGHKEEPSIE – Monday afternoon’s rush hour traffic was at a standstill after an 18-wheeler trying to cross the bridge toward Highland got stuck on the ramp barrier. The driver’s error created major traffic delays in the area for more than an hour while officials worked on a safe way to remove the rig.
The Western Express tractor-trailer was traveling south on Route 9 and the driver took the ramp leading to the Mid-Hudson Bridge, heading west toward Highland. For an undermined reason, the driver failed to negotiate the curve at the top of the ramp, and part of the trailer was dragged up onto the barrier, causing it to tip toward the driver’s side, making it unsafe to move in either direction.
Motorists traveling south on Route 9 to access the westbound lanes were blocked by the big rig, causing traffic to back up past Marist College in the town. Drivers who were on the westbound arterial (Route 44/55) heading toward Ulster County were also stopped, with two of the three lanes backed up to the Arlington area of the town at one point.
Drivers who tried to use secondary streets in the City of Poughkeepsie to sneak around the traffic jam eventually became stopped as well.
The truck was freed from the perilous perch at approximately 6:00 p.m. and the traffic delays cleared up a short time later.
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