Sanitation truck crash near Lincoln Tunnel creates holiday travel nightmare

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A truck has overturned near Route 495 in Union City. (FOX 5 NY)

A sanitation truck lost control, crashed into several cars, flipped over a railing, and careened nose-first and upside down onto Route 495 in Union City, New Jersey, around noon. The calamity injured several people and caused a traffic nightmare during the pre-holiday rush.

The outbound Lincoln Tunnel was at a virtual standstill and all service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan was suspended for several hours. All New Jersey-bound lanes of the tunnel were reopened around 7:15 p.m.

The City of Union City sanitation truck apparently drove off the overpass on Palisade Avenue near 30th Street and came to rest alongside a retaining wall on the westbound lanes of Route 495, which is a heavily trafficked area near the Lincoln Tunnel.

What little traffic is coming out of the Lincoln Tunnel is being diverted onto Park Avenue. Officials urged motorists to use other crossings to leave Manhattan, such as the Holland Tunnel and the George Washington Bridge.

Thousands of commuters were stranded at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Service finally resumed with long delays at about 5:15 p.m. Authorities recommended that riders use NJ Transit rail, PATH trains, or NY Waterway ferries instead. Those services are cross-honoring bus tickets.