A busy stretch of Interstate 40 East near Raleigh-Durham International Airport reopened Friday morning several hours after Durham police found a woman who was hit by multiple unknown vehicles.
Durham police said they responded to a call about a pedestrian being hit on I-40 near Davis Drive around 1:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found the woman dead and said she had been hit multiple times by unknown vehicles.
The eastbound lanes of I-40 were closed for a mile from Exit 280 at Davis Drive to Exit 281 to South Miami Boulevard. The severe delays extended onto Interstate 885 as well.
At 8 a.m., a lane had reopened on I-40 and traffic was flowing again. All lanes on I-40 reopened by 8:30 a.m.
Hours before the morning commute, WRAL Breaking News Tracker arrived before 4 a.m. to find multiple officers blocking the interstate for an investigation. Police would not let reporters near the scene.
WRAL’s Shaun Gallagher arrived at 6 a.m. as the backup worsened. According to Gallagher, the miles of backups on the road resembled 8:30 a.m. rush hour instead of the usual 6 a.m. traffic.
Sky 5 flew over the delays at 7:15 a.m., showing miles and miles of traffic.
Police said they cannot release any other information about the investigation at this time.