Interstate 91 in Connecticut
A presumably serious car accident brought traffic on Interstate 91 north in Connecticut to a complete standstill from Wethersfield all the way south to East Berlin Saturday afternoon. (Conor Berry / The Republican)
WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — A presumably serious accident brought traffic on Interstate 91 north in Connecticut to a complete standstill from Wethersfield all the way south to East Berlin Saturday afternoon.
Around 3:30 p.m., northbound traffic was brought to a halt as Connecticut State Police responded to a motorcycle accident on the highway, although troopers at the Hartford barracks said they didn't know much beyond the fact that officers remained on the scene hours later.
A look at the traffic flow via Google Maps revealed that secondary roads adjacent to I-91 were also backed up as travelers tried to avoid the problem area to no avail. As of 7 p.m., traffic was beginning to be routed around the crash scene onto Route 3, but was still moving slowly.
This screenshot of a Google traffic map taken around 7:30 pm showed the back-up on I-91 north due to a serious motorcycle accident which halted traffic for more than three hours Saturday.
Additionally, I-91 north near the first Enfield exit was partially closed due to construction, which further complicated things for people who had already spent much of the day sitting on the highway.
Earlier in the day, parts of I-91 and I-95 near New Haven were closed as firefighters battled a blaze near an oil terminal. Further north in Holyoke, Mass. I-91 north was closed for hours Saturday evening as crews cleaned up a hot mess left when a dump truck carrying asphalt rolled over on the highway.
I-91 in Holyoke was eventually reopened about four hours after the crash.
Connecticut State Police in Hartford said information regarding the motorcycle crash would be forthcoming through public information officers, who weren't immediately available for comment.
Staff Writer Conor Berry contributed to this report.