Due to the icy conditions brought on by the rain, all Delaware River Port Authority Bridges were closed Sunday; includes the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry Bridges. NBC10’s Monique Braxton reports from the Ben Franklin Bridge, where traffic is backed up westbound for a mile.
Authorities closed both the Walt Whitman Bridge and Ben Franklin Bridge, along with several other bridges between New Jersey and Pennsylvania early Sunday morning as slippery road conditions caused major backups and dangerous conditions throughout the region.
The Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman were shut down in both directions shortly before 8 a.m., according to the Delaware River Port Authority, which also closed the Commodore Barry Bridge and the Betsy Ross Bridge.
About an hour earlier, as many as 22 vehicles were involved in a chain reaction crash in the westbound lanes of the Walt Whitman in South Philadelphia. One of the vehicles involved was a police cruiser. Officials did not immediately have an update on whether anyone was injured.
All lanes of the Ben Franklin were reopened in both directions shortly before 10 a.m.
The Commodore Barry Bridge was also shut down for several hours, but reopened around 10 a.m.
All other bridges reopened just after 12 p.m.
Multiple law enforcement agencies have urged motorists to stay home.
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@NBCPhiladelphia Walt Whitman is a parking lot. Completely iced over. #closedroads pic.twitter.com/Zji8va2UIK — DamianMarcDelPizzo (@DamianDelPizzo) January 18, 2015
