Developing: A motorcyclist was killed in a crash involving a tractor-trailer on the George Washington Bridge early Thursday morning, triggering major traffic delays and lane closures into New York City, according to multiple local news outlets and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
NBC New York reported that the crash happened around 5:30 a.m. on the bridge’s upper level heading toward Manhattan and brought traffic to a standstill, with delays stretching to about 90 minutes on the upper level and close to an hour on the lower level.
NJ.com reported that the collision occurred about 5:19 a.m. on the upper-level eastbound Trans-Manhattan Expressway, where the motorcyclist collided with a tractor-trailer and was pronounced dead at the scene. The truck driver was not injured, according to that report.
News 12 said the crash prompted multiple lane closures and caused miles of backups through Fort Lee and on approaches to the bridge. The outlet also reported that Fort Lee police urged drivers to avoid the George Washington Bridge area for several hours while officers were assigned to traffic posts around the borough.
ABC7 New York reported that traffic was diverted onto local streets in Washington Heights while officials worked the scene, and that one left lane on the eastbound upper level had reopened as crews began restoring limited traffic flow. The identity of the motorcyclist has not been released.
Separate from Thursday’s crash, Port Authority GWB traffic updates posted on X also described heavy traffic on the bridge after police activity and later reported lane closures tied to the fatal crash. In a post from the official Port Authority GWB account, the agency said the GWB lower level to New York was experiencing heavy traffic due to police activity on the upper level and advised drivers to seek an alternate route.
The crash remains under investigation, and it is not yet clear how long delays will last.