Commuters faced a massive headache on Interstate 93 Thursday morning after a chain-reaction crash in Boston's O'Neill Tunnel ground traffic to a halt. According to Boston 25 News, the series of bang-ups kicked off around 7 a.m., sending delays all the way back to Spot Pond in Stoneham and clogging up the southbound side of the highway.
The mess began when a pickup truck smacked into the rear of another car in the tunnel's far left lane. MassDOT video captured the ensuing domino effect as another car crashed into the pickup, and yet another vehicle swerved aside in an attempt to dodge the pileup but still got clipped. "Video from a camera overlooking the Zakim Bridge showed gridlock traffic as motorists slowly inched toward the tunnel," Boston 25 News reported.
All vehicles involved were cleared by 8 a.m., according to MassDOT, but the aftermath of the wreck left drivers in the lurch much longer into the morning. The extent of any injuries was not immediately known, and officials entreated motorists to take alternate routes if at all possible.
Still, WCVB reported additional details on the incident, noting that an SUV slammed into two of the vehicles during the shuffle. Despite swift clearing of the debris, the damage was done; residual delays lingered, providing a slow and frustrating start of the day for many attempting to navigate into Boston.
