Flipped tractor-trailer to temporarily shut down westbound Ben Franklin Bridge

Commuters traveling from Camden to Philadelphia may face delays or diversions Thursday evening after a tractor-trailer filled with bananas overturned on the Benjamin Franklin Bridge shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday.

A spokesman with the Delaware River Port Authority said no one was injured when the truck overturned in a westbound lane; the cause of the accident remains under investigation.

No other vehicles were involved, and no bananas spilled out onto the bridge, spokesman Mike Williams said.

From now until about 6:30 p.m., two lanes are open on the bridge going into Philadelphia. Delays were minimal in the early afternoon as the bananas were loaded onto another truck, Williams said.

About 6:30 p.m., all westbound traffic will be diverted off the bridge while a tow truck comes in to remove the overturned tractor-trailer, he said. At that time, vehicles traveling from Camden to Philadelphia will be diverted to the 5th Street exit. No vehicles will be able to head onto Vine Street, or the ramps for Interstate 676 or Interstate 95 until the truck is cleared, he said.

Williams suggested that motorists use another bridge, such as the Walt Whitman or Betsy Ross, to get into Philadelphia from New Jersey at that time.

He said eastbound traffic on the bridge from Philadelphia into Camden should be unaffected.