Flooded roadways leave drivers stranded, traffic snarled

Monday, April 16, 2018

Flooded roadways leave drivers stranded, traffic snarled. Bob Brooks reports during Action News at 4pm on April 16, 2018.

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- The heavy rains caused widespread flooding during the Monday morning commute, leaving some drivers stranded and countless others stuck in backed-up traffic.

Chopper 6 was over the Schuylkill Expressway in the area of Belmont Avenue around noon to find the eastbound lanes still jammed due to delays from residual flooding.

Flooding leaves traffic jammed on Schuylkill Expressway. Watch this report from Action News at Noon on April 16, 2018.

Water was pooling at several ramps, including 26th Street to get on to I-76 westbound. But it was even worse getting off 76 eastbound to 26th. The pooling there was several feet deep.

Pictured: Flooded ramp from 76 EB to 26th Street in Philadelphia on April 16, 2018.

People were stuck for hours, like truck driver Dylan Kulp. We caught up with him during some of the standstill.

"I left about 8:30 this morning, got on I-76. It's about 11:44 now and I've made it about 7 or 8 miles," he said.

Then, near the Belmont Avenue exit, traffic was also backed up as people were trying to take back roads. It was there we spoke to driver Stephanie McMullen-Payton from Reading. She pulled off here to finally grab lunch.

She says she's never been in traffic that long.

"I have been texting my job photos and videos so I do not get in trouble!" she said.

Evan Trexler never made it into the office at all.

"I was running out of gas so I had to get off the most recent exit. So now I'm heading home. Going to work from home today," he said.

Flooded roadways leave drivers stranded, traffic snarled. Bob Brooks reports during Action News at Noon on April 16, 2018.

In Media, Delaware County, the Middletown Fire Company was alerted for a water rescue around 8:15 a.m. on Mt. Alverno Road behind Snyder's Ace Hardware. Officials say the driver of a Jeep Grand Cherokee had attempted to cross the water, but got stuck. Firefighters were able to lower their ladder to the rear hatch of the vehicle, and the driver was rescued.

Firefighters in New Castle rescued a driver from her vehicle on the 300 block of Airport Road shortly before 8:30 a.m.

Driver rescued from flooded roadway in New Castle on April 16, 2018.

Another car got stuck in 3.5 feet of water along Pyles Lane in New Castle. A man had to be rescued from that vehicle.

Car in flooded waters in New Castle on April 16, 2018.

The Cherry Hill Police Department asks drivers to avoid the area of Route 38 which was closed in both directions from Chapel to Cuthbert Boulevard due to flooding.

Viewer video showed the flooding on the Schuylkill Expressway in Lower Merion Township.

A tractor-trailer jackknifed on the ramp from the Vine Street Expressway westbound to the Schuylkill Expressway westbound around 5:45 a.m. I-676 was jammed approaching the accident scene. The scene was cleared shortly before 8 a.m.