Honolulu commuters frustrated after crash causes hours-long traffic backlog

HONOLULU (KHON2) -- A flipped truck on one of Honolulu's busiest freeways caused a heavy backlog of traffic, causing major headaches for thousands of drivers. Drivers called the situation "a mess," expressing their frustration trying to get out of town. The cause -- a flipped dump truck near the H-1, H-2 Freeway split in Waipio. The Department of Transportation announced that four westbound lanes would be closed due to fuel leaking from the vehicle just before 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Backups continued through the afternoon. Many drivers were affected by the closure, with some saying their commutes were doubled. "When I started my drive in town, it said 35 minutes. I'm still at 40 minutes, and I'm halfway there," said Logan, a frustrated driver. Others said alternative routes were backed up, filled with drivers looking to avoid the traffic: "Traffic there, traffic here, traffic everywhere," another driver said. "We would move every 20 feet every 20 minutes at least," said Ivan Martinez, another driver who was stuck in traffic. One man even opted to walk instead of drive in fear of being late picking up his granddaughter from school. "What a mess. I've never seen it like this before, and I've lived here for 60 years," he said. "So I'm walking, I have to pick her up cause I don't want her to worry." All lanes were reopened just after 1:30 p.m., DOT said.