Protesters chain themselves to George Washington Bridge

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NY) - A protest shut down upper lanes of the George Washington Bridge on Wednesday morning.   New York City-bound traffic was at a standstill. 

All lanes of the upper level reopened at about 9 a.m.

The protest reportedly organized by the NY Worker Federation was demanding equal rights for immigrants.  Video posted to Twitter showed one driver getting out of a vehicle and fighting with one of the protesters.

The group of about 10 people had a large banner that they spread across the lanes saying: "Resist, organized, rise up!"

The hashtag #SomosVisible #WeAreVisible was trending on social media.

Joe Pentangelo of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said seven male protesters and three female protesters were in custody at around 8:30 a.m.

Traffic on the upper level was being diverted off the bridge at 177th St. for approximately one hour. The protesters shut down the lanes by chaining themselves to the bridge.

The lower level of the span that connects NYC and NJ remained open.  Delays into NYC were at about 90 minutes because of the incident.  Motorists were advised to use other Hudson River crossings.

On Tuesday, the GWB marked 85 years since it first opened.

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