Barge hits bridge, halts traffic

An unmanned barge struck the Severn River Bridge this morning, shutting down Route 50 and creating instant gridlock expected to last for hours, state authorities said.

The accident about 10:30 a.m. closed both the six-lane highway bridge, and for a short time the two-lane Naval Academy Bridge about a half-mile down river. The bridges are the only river crossings near Annapolis.

The barge, filled with stone and cut wood, apparently broke loose from an anchor point north of the river about 10:25 a.m., then floated down river and wedged between the fifth and sixth piers of the Route 50 bridge. No one was hurt in the...