Big rig jams up traffic on Southern State

A tractor trailer on the westbound Southern State Parkway briefly caused backups east of Exit 32, Route 110, in North Amityville before being removed, state police said Tuesday.

It took about 20 minutes to get the errant big rig off the parkway, according to the New York State Department of Transportation. That was good news for commuters, who were facing delays through the area during the morning rush.

The truck drove onto the parkway at 6:18 a.m., according to the NYSDOT. A scan of parkway traffic cameras showed the rig on the right hand shoulder of the westbound parkway, traffic backed up to the east of it - and state trooper cars stopped behind it, emergency lights flashing. Troopers managed to get the driver to back the tractor-trailer off the parkway and the rig was removed by about 6:35 a.m., the NYSDOT reported on its Web site.

Commercial vehicles are not allowed on parkways. But the NYSDOT reports more than a dozen such incursions occur every month on Long Island.