The Friday Morning Commute from Hell: I-495 Northbound Grinds to a Halt in Andover After Multi-Vehicle Chaos

Oh, the dreaded Friday morning commute. For countless drivers headed north on I-495 through Andover, this past Friday began not with the usual hum of traffic, but with an abrupt, unsettling jolt. What was supposed to be a routine start to the day quickly devolved into utter chaos, a scene marked by twisted metal, flashing lights, and an entirely halted highway.

Just as the sun was thinking about properly rising, before 6 a.m. actually, a major multi-vehicle collision erupted near Exit 41, right by Route 28. And when we say "major," we mean it — involving, as it turns out, not just a few cars, but a tractor-trailer and a pickup truck hauling its own trailer, amongst others. You could almost feel the collective groan of commuters as news of the incident spread like wildfire, painting a stark picture of the road ahead, or rather, the road not moving.

State Police, bless their quick response, were on the scene in a flash, alongside other emergency crews. Their immediate, and frankly necessary, action? Shutting down all northbound lanes of I-495. Imagine that for a moment: a major artery, completely impassable. Traffic, as you might expect, snarled into an epic, unyielding beast, forcing drivers onto a detour through Route 28, a route undoubtedly unprepared for such a sudden deluge of vehicles.

Early reports, often a bit fuzzy in the immediate aftermath, hinted at injuries. Later, we learned two individuals had been hospitalized, thankfully with injuries deemed non-life-threatening. It’s a relief, honestly, when you consider the sheer force involved in such a pileup. The crash itself was quite a spectacle of unfortunate circumstances, requiring significant effort from responders to manage the scene, assess the damage, and begin the painstaking process of clearing the wreckage.

For those caught in the gridlock, time stretched. Minutes turned into an hour, then two, and then nearly three hours. But, for once, there was an end in sight. Around 8:30 a.m., the highway, slowly but surely, began to stir back to life. Lanes reopened, one by one, allowing the long-stalled river of cars to finally flow again, albeit sluggishly at first. A small victory, certainly, but a victory nonetheless for those just trying to get to work, or wherever their Friday morning journey was supposed to take them.

And the cause of all this morning's madness? Well, the authorities are still working through the details, as they do. Charges are, in truth, pending against one of the drivers involved. It serves as yet another stark reminder, doesn't it, of just how quickly a routine drive can transform into something truly extraordinary, and frankly, terrifying, on our busy highways.