27 Jan 2024 | 04:44 PM UTC
US: Significant traffic delays likely into afternoon of Jan. 27 after multivehicle accident prompts closure of Rt. 50 near Annapolis, Md. /update 1
Route US-50 westbound closed near Annapolis, Md., US, Jan. 27 due to vehicle crash. Major traffic disruptions likely into afternoon hours.
Significant traffic disruptions are likely along US Route 50 near Annapolis, Maryland, and on Kent Island into the mid- to late afternoon on Jan. 27 after a multivehicle accident prompted the closure of the westbound span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge earlier in the day. At least 18 vehicles were involved in the incident on the bridge, with an unspecified number of persons being injured. There have as yet been no reports of fatalities. It remains unclear whether there is any infrastructure damage to the bridge itself.
Although authorities have implemented platooning measures, i.e. traffic controls enabling alternating use of the eastbound span by both west- and eastbound traffic, major transport disruptions are continuing in the Annapolis and Kent Island areas. The only viable alternative routes for crossing the Chesapeake Bay involve traveling northward via Baltimore to I-95 on the Western Shore or US Route 301 northward to I-95 on the Eastern Shore; both routes entail considerably greater travel times.
Lingering disruptions are likely for several hours after the bridge's westbound lanes reopen.
Allow significant extra time for travel across the Chesapeake Bay into at least the mid-afternoon of Jan. 27. Consider using available alternative driving routes or delaying travel until traffic normalizes on Rt. 50. Heed instructions from authorities.
