NEW YORK, N.Y. – A string of crashes, vehicle fires, and disabled cars slowed morning traffic across the New York metro area and beyond Wednesday, with several incidents reported from Albany to Long Island during the height of the rush hour.
In New York City, both directions of I-678 in Queens were affected by separate crashes. Northbound traffic backed up near Queens Boulevard, where two of three lanes were blocked, while southbound traffic near JFK Airport’s Terminal 4 was reduced to one lane. In Brooklyn, a disabled vehicle on I-278 westbound near Columbia Heights closed the right lane, adding to congestion through the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.
Upstate, in the Capital Region, multiple disabled vehicles created slowdowns around Albany. Crews responded to incidents on I-90 eastbound past Exit 2, NY 7 westbound near Miller Road, and I-87 Northway northbound before Exit 7, with shoulders closed in each case. A crash on I-787 southbound at the ramp to NY 378 westbound shut down all lanes at Exit 7W as of midmorning.
In the Hudson Valley, two separate incidents on I-684 caused backups in both directions — a disabled vehicle near Exit 5 in Bedford and a crash with property damage near Exit 6A in Lewisboro. A vehicle fire on I-87 southbound near Exit 10 in South Nyack blocked the right lane approaching the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
Farther east, in Suffolk County, a crash on the Southern State Parkway westbound at Exit 35 in Babylon blocked the right shoulder.
Regional delays also extended into Connecticut, where congestion was reported on I-95 southbound near Bridgeport, Route 15 southbound from Exits 30 to 20, Route 2 westbound near Hartford, and I-91 southbound through New Haven.
Commuters were advised to expect residual delays across the metro area as cleanup and tow operations continued through the late morning hours.
Crashes on I-678 in Queens, a Thruway vehicle fire, and multiple disabled vehicles across the Capital Region caused major slowdowns on New York highways Wednesday morning.