Investigations underway after accident that causes long delays on I-84

WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) – A busy freeway ramp in Waterbury reopened Tuesday evening after the area was closed for nearly seven hours due to an accident involving a tractor-trailer.

Hundreds of pounds of trash are scattered across this Interstate 84 West on-ramp after a multi-vehicle accident caused a semi-trailer to tip over on its side.

“It started to tip over, it was out of balance,” said Mike Cee, a Waterbury resident who witnessed the accident.

Cee was walking across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the ramp when he said he heard a loud bang.

“It was the USA Hauling Truck,” Cee said. “Sounds like the axle broke.”

Connecticut State Police said the accident between two commercial vehicles occurred shortly after 2 p.m.

The accident closed Exit 33 on the south side of Route 8 to the west entrance of I-84 for more than six hours.

State police said there were injuries but did not provide details on the extent of the injuries. They did, however, say that everyone involved is expected to be OK.

The cleanup itself consisted of several parts. First, the vehicles had to be towed away, then dump trucks had to remove all the garbage, and then workers had to repair the guardrails damaged by the accident.

“It took a long time to clean up,” Cee said.

The closure caused traffic congestion and detours for motorists during the evening rush hour. Latrell Powell, an Uber Eats driver, was one of those drivers.

“I was on my way to make a delivery and wanted to take this ramp to Danbury, but then I realized it was closed. It’s crazy,” Powell said.

Police said the cause of the accident was still under investigation.