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One Crash Backs Up 3 Expressways

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Right lanes of US-131 blocked just south of Pearl Street (MDOT image)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A lot of people were late for work Monday morning due to one crash in the S-Curve that backed up traffic on US-131, I-196, and I-96.

The three vehicle crash just south of Pearl Street blocked the left two lanes of US-131 beginning shortly after 7 a.m. Just before 8 a.m., emergency vehicles and crash vehicles were moved to the right two lanes, which permitted traffic to move past the scene in the left three lanes. But traffic wasn’t moving much faster an hour after the initial crash occurred.

Matters were worsened when a minor crash blocked the ramp from westbound I-196 to northbound US-131. That meant eastbound drivers on I-196 who couldn’t use the ramp to northbound US-131 due to construction were stuck with nowhere to go.

Traffic was bumper-to-bumper on US-131 from the crash scene back to Post Drive. Traffic on westbound I-196 was backed up to College Avenue due to the jam-up on the ramp to southbound US-131. And traffic was backed up on I-96 from US-131 to past Alpine Avenue.