Several crashes involving more than 40 vehicles occurred on Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland on Saturday, injuring 13 people and forcing temporary closures.
In several announcements on X throughout Saturday morning, the Maryland transportation authority said that all lanes had been closed following a multivehicle crash on westbound lanes and warned of major delays. According to the MDTA, its police dispatch received initial calls of the crash at 8am.
It added that tow operators had actively been clearing vehicles and that motorists should stay on US 50 on both sides of the bridge to keep local roadways open. The MDTA also said that eastbound and westbound traffic had been switching turns on the eastbound bridge.
The MDTA announced that at around 1.50pm on Saturday afternoon, all lanes had been reopened and that eastbound alternating traffic had been discontinued.
MDTA reports that 23 vehicles had been involved in a “chain-reaction crash on the westbound span”. It added that investigators believe that approximately 20 additional vehicles had been involved in the secondary crashes.
According to authorities, two people were taken to hospitals with serious injuries while 11 others were also hurt. None of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
Investigations into the crashes remain underway.
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