A major Phoenix freeway was temporarily shut down in both directions due to a police incident involving a man seen on the overpass sign at I-10 near 7th Street, according to reports. FOX 10 Phoenix reported that the closure disrupted traffic flow across one of the city's primary arterial routes, with motorists facing significant delays.
The situation began on Saturday evening with the Arizona Department of Transportation announcing the closure via social media at approximately 8:20 p.m., the interstate was a standstill as law enforcement negotiated with the individual, heavy delays affected the I-10 tunnel eastbound and extended from 7th Street to the Mini Stack at State Route 51 westbound, according to AZ Family. Officers reportedly engaged with the man on the overpass sign, ultimately bringing the standoff to a peaceful conclusion as he was brought down to receive medical attention.
Following the resolution of the incident, lanes were reopened with police initially opening the eastbound lanes, and later, the impacted westbound lanes were released to traffic at around 9:40 p.m. Eastbound HOV and left lanes which had been closed were also opened around the same time, as per AZ Family.
The situation caused a backup in the area, with Arizona Department of Transportation urging drivers to remain patient as traffic cleared, "UPDATE: I-10 WB has REOPENED near Seventh Street. There's still a heavy backup in the area; please be patient while that clears," the department posted on their official Twitter handle, the flow of vehicles gradually returned to a semblance of normalcy as the man, whose identity has not been disclosed, was taken for medical help, as reported by AZ Family.
No further details about the individual involved or the reason for his presence on the sign were immediately available. This incident is still under investigation, and additional information is expected to be released following a thorough examination of the occurrences that led up to the freeway closure.
