A major truck crash snarled traffic on the Capital Beltway in Greenbelt, Maryland, late Tuesday afternoon, forcing authorities to close the Outer Loop for more than an hour. The crash happened on the Outer Loop near Kenilworth Avenue around 5:30 p.m. A tractor-trailer hauling car batteries overturned. The trailer landed on its side and stretched across all four travel lanes. Authorities diverted traffic at Exit 23. Prince George’s County Fire and EMS said “crews worked to remediate environmental impact from oil spill” in a tweet.
Crews worked to remediate environmental impact from oil spill. 1 lane of traffic getting by. Follow @MDSHA and @WTOPtraffic for the latest. @MDSP investigating collision. (2/2) pic.twitter.com/RHVmAVVsrP
— Prince George’s County Fire/EMS Department (@PGFDNews) August 12, 2020
Maryland State Police said two other passenger vehicles, a BMW and a Volvo, were also involved. Traffic backed up for several miles in each direction during the early evening as crews worked to offload the cargo and right the truck.
Major truck crash on the Beltway Outer Loop at Kenilworth Avenue with an overturned tractor trailer physically blocking all lanes. Stay with @WTOP 103.5 FM for the latest. pic.twitter.com/WdfISYrAD5
— Dave Dildine (@DildineWTOP) August 11, 2020
As of 3:15 a.m. Wednesday, the crash was cleared with no residual delays, WTOP’s Rich Hunter reported. This is a developing story. Stay with WTOP for more details.