Car Fire Shuts Down George Washington Bridge: Wednesday Evening Rush Hour

A car fire forced the closure of the George Washington Bridge’s westbound upper level on Wednesday, requiring extensive cleanup and snarling evening rush hour traffic, authorities stated.

According to the Port Authority of NY/NJ, GWB Tunnel and Bridge agents arrived at the scene of the fire around 5 p.m. and managed to extinguish the flames about 30 minutes later.

The fire began in the engine compartment of the sedan, authorities stated.

The driver managed to exit the car when the fire began and there were no injuries, authorities reported.

Port Authority officials issued an alert about the fire at 5:11 p.m., issuing an all-clear update with a warning that there might be residual traffic delays at 6:14 p.m.

Photo courtesy of the Port Authority of NY/NJ