Flour Truck Accident Backs Up Merritt Parkway

A truck carrying flour crashed into a bridge on the Merritt Parkway, snarling traffic for almost six hours on Tuesday.

According to the fire department, the tractor trailer mistakenly got on the parkway at northbound exit 42 and struck the North Avenue overpass at approximately 11:46 a.m. The truck was carrying 30,000 pounds of food-grade flour and was headed for Rhode Island.

The Westport Fire Department helped the salvage contractor remove the flour from the trailer by cutting a hole in the side, according to a press release. An inspector from the Department of Consumer Protection then determined which flour sacks could be salvaged and which had to be discared. State police shut down the roadway so the contractor could bring equipment from Fairfield by driving in the opposite lanes.

No injuries were reported.