FORT LEE, N.J. — For the second time in less than 48 hours, a person was killed at the George Washington Bridge Thursday morning when a motorcyclist crashed with a tractor-trailer, triggering gridlock on bridge access roads and backing up traffic from Teaneck through Fort Lee.
The crash happened around 5:19 a.m. on the eastbound upper-level Trans-Manhattan Expressway, on the New York side of the bridge.
Port Authority police, FDNY firefighters and Port Authority bridge and tunnel agents responded to the scene.
The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene. The tractor-trailer driver was not injured.
Authorities have not released the rider's identity or said what caused the crash.
The deadly collision shut down key approaches to the bridge during the morning rush, leaving drivers stuck in heavy traffic along roads leading to the crossing, including routes stretching back through Teaneck and Fort Lee.
Traffic heading into Manhattan was also diverted onto local streets in Washington Heights, where the NYPD deployed traffic agents to manage the congestion.
Fort Lee police urged drivers to avoid the bridge for six hours while investigators worked at the scene.
"Numerous officers are assigned to multiple traffic posts throughout the borough," Fort Lee police said, "in an effort to continue to mitigate the traffic problem as best as we can."
By 9 a.m., lanes had begun reopening, although significant delays continued. The Port Authority initially reopened one left lane of the eastbound upper-level expressway, allowing trucks and tractor-trailers through while diverting other vehicles.
Thursday's fatal crash came just two days after 46-year-old Con Edison worker Koran Irvine was shot and killed while driving on the New Jersey-bound upper level of the bridge Tuesday evening.
That shooting also shut down traffic for hours. A retired police officer surrendered to authorities Wednesday in connection with the killing, according to PIX11, citing law enforcement sources.
The motorcycle crash remains under investigation.
