I-95 accident causes traffic delays
No runners missed the race due to the backup, Nutter spokesman says.
A TRACTOR-TRAILER accident on Interstate 95 in South Philadelphia yesterday morning caused delays for hours just as motorists were trying to navigate to and from the Broad Street Run.
Officials said the accident happened in the northbound lanes just before 6 a.m., when a tractor-trailer collided with another vehicle and then struck the median, causing the semi to burst into flames.
Traffic was shut down in both directions between the Walt Whitman Bridge and Broad Street for nearly two hours. The southbound lanes began to reopen shortly before 8 a.m., but it was not until 1 p.m. that all lanes reopened. The closures caused delays on other area highways, authorities said.
Despite the backup, officials said there were no reports of runners missing the 8:30 a.m. race as a result of the accident.
"Race organizers who typically get reports from police that people are stranded or unable to get to the start did not [hear of anything]," said Mayor Nutter's spokesman, Mark McDonald.
Authorities said the tractor-trailer driver was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in stable condition. No other injuries were reported.
- Solomon Leach