Traffic came to a standstill Wednesday evening just south of Exit 79 on Route 495 after a crash injured two people in Littleton, including one with life-threatening injuries.
Around 4:30 p.m., a vehicle swerved into the opposite lane and struck another vehicle, Massachusetts State Police told Boston 25 News.
The driver of the car that crashed into oncoming traffic suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted to a nearby hospital.
The other vehicle that was hit suffered minor injuries, according to police.
All lanes were closed so Med Flight could transport the driver with serious injuries, and state police could investigate.
MassDOT warned motorists that both the northbound and southbound lanes were closed before Exit 79 just after 5:15 p.m.
A traffic camera in Westford showed Route 495 turned into a parking lot.
It wasn’t until 5:50 p.m. that the first two lanes of Route 495 North were reopened, while the third lane and Route 495 South remained closed.
Southbound 495 commuters were diverted to exits 80 and 83, causing traffic to be backed up for 10 miles.
At 7:25 p.m. the Mass. State Police completed the investigation and cleanup process, allowing all lanes to reopen.
This is a development story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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