One lane open but heavy traffic, 10 hours after truck flipped, spilled pennies

NEW CASTLE, Del. (WTXF) - The left lane of I-95 northbound is now open again, according to Delaware State Police, but the latest from SKYFOX at about noon shows traffic is still backed up for miles.

The trouble started more than ten hours ago when a tractor trailer collided with a jersey barrier in a construction zone, causing it to flip and spill blank pennies all over the highway, shutting it down.

The accident just before 2am forced all I-95 northbound traffic off at Exit 5A, Airport Road. Since that’s just before the I-295 eastbound split which leads to the Delaware Memorial Bridge, traffic to New Jersey and New York was also affected.

It took five hours for crews to cut away the truck with steel hacksaws and get it towed away, but there was still lots of work to be done at the scene.

Watch team coverage from 7am with FOX 29’s Steve Keeley at the scene and FOX 29’s Bob Kelly in the Traffic Authority Center, followed by earlier coverage.

Bob Kelly compared traffic to a parking lot, saying it was backed up for miles to Route 273. Five lanes were narrowed down to one. There was no access to Wilmington or the Delaware Memorial Bridge. He suggested getting off at Exit 4, which is the Christiana Mall exit. Then, take Route 1 south to Route 13. Other possible alternatives are Route 4 and Route 2.

Steve Keeley reported the road was very slippery ahead, even to walk, like an ice rink possibly from a fuel spill. The crash happened at 1:53am when the tractor trailer hit a tall concrete barrier. Possible causes are construction and rain.

There was also a new sign in the construction zone that may have caused the driver to lose control while trying to skid to a halt.

At one point, there was a crane with braces at the scene, trying to clean up the truck, but it wasn't easy.

The truck spilled 40,000 pounds of blank pennies all over the road, especially the right lane. They were headed to the mint in Philadelphia to be stamped. A cleanup truck has already been at work, but Keeley reported hearing them scrape against the concrete, leading him to think they’ll be shoveled up, along with other debris.

He also said there doesn’t look like the road was damaged, despite a minor fire since the crash was so violent.

And police say the driver "has suffered minor injuries and is currently being assessed at the scene."