Two accidents, one involving a dump truck, traffic jam on I-76 westbound – NBC10 Philadelphia

Two accidents caused traffic delays on the busy Interstate 76 in Philadelphia during rush hour on Friday morning.

The first accident occurred before 5 a.m. on the westbound Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) between Lincoln Drive/Kelly Drive (exit 340A) and US Route 1 – City Avenue (exit 339). A dump truck had spilled its load near the highway junction.

As crews worked to clear the scene, only one lane of traffic remained, backing up traffic to Montgomery Drive/West River Drive (Exit 341). By daybreak, the truck was upright, but the spilled cargo continued to cover the roadway.

Just before 6 a.m., a second accident occurred further up I-76 westbound between Montgomery Drive and US 1 North – Roosevelt Boulevard (Exit 340B). Firefighters surrounded a car and appeared to be in the process of tearing the roof off. Cars drove by slowly on the shoulder.

At 6:30 a.m., the entire highway up to the accident site on Montgomery Drive was briefly closed before the shoulder was reopened.

It took drivers 75 minutes (or more) to get from the Vine Street Expressway (I-676) to the Blue Route (1-476) before 7 a.m.

The dump truck accident appeared to be resolved by 8:10 a.m., but the other accident was still being reported by 511PA.com. The other accident was resolved later that morning.

For drivers wanting to leave Philly during rush hour, it was best to avoid I-76 altogether. Kelly Drive, MLK Drive, and Belmont Avenue can be used as alternate routes. Lancaster Avenue can also be used to get to the Main Line and Montgomery County.

Drivers travelling east towards the city centre also had to expect a slowdown as traffic slowed down behind the accident sites.

There is no information yet on the extent of the injuries, but one person was seen being rescued from the second accident near Montgomery Drive.