RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Multiple crashes on Interstate 95 caused significant delays for drivers in the city of Richmond Monday morning. One incident resulted in a downed powerline that caused lane closures in both directions.
The first crash was reported by VDOT shortly before 7 a.m. and was located on I-95 South near the Broad Street exit.
According to VDOT, the south left shoulder, left lane, right lane, and right shoulder were closed. At one point, there was a 2-mile-long backup.
The crash scene was marked as clear shortly before 8:30 a.m.
Around 5 minutes later, another crash was reported by VDOT in the same location.
A Virginia State Police spokesperson said that the third crash involved a driver who struck a power pole, causing it to fall and block the ramp. No one was injured. The lanes remained closed as crews worked to safely remove the power pole.
According to VDOT, all southbound lanes and northbound lanes on I-95 in the vicinity of the crashes were closed as crews worked to address the downed power line. It wasn’t until 2 p.m. — over six hours later — that lanes were reopened. The exit ramp remains closed at this time.
This was the third time I-95 had been shut down due to traffic incidents Monday morning. The first incident was a tractor-trailer crash near Lewistown Road around 3:15 a.m.
According to police, the morning’s low visibility caused more than eight crashes. There were no severe injuries as a result of the crashes.
This is a developing story, check back with 8News for updates.
