More than 10 miles of queues hit the M62 this afternoon after a car overturned in Greater Manchester.
The incident, between junctions 22 at Saddleworth and 21 at Milnrow on the westbound side of the motorway, took more than three-and-a-half hours to clear.
At one point, traffic was bumper-to-bumper for 12 miles, with the congestion stretching all the way back to junction 25 for Huddersfield.
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Shortly after the incident, Highways England tweeted: "Traffic stopped. M62 westbound J22 ( Denshaw ) to J21 (Milnrow, Shaw, A640) traffic has been temporarily STOPPED due to an overturned vehicle."
However, just before rush hour began in earnest, the delays eased.
One man was taken to hospital in the incident.
"We were called to this incident at 13.09,” a spokesperson for North West Ambulance Service said.
"We treated a male patient for minor injuries and took him to hospital."
To allow emergency services to treat the man, and repair central reservation barriers, the westbound carriageway closed completely for a short time from 1.13pm, Transport for Greater Manchester said.
By 1.44pm, one lane reopened, but the ensuing tailbacks created misery for motorists — with delays of over two hours reported by authorities.
The 12-mile-long queue only fully cleared shortly after 4.45pm, according to traffic monitoring service Inrix and Motorway Cameras.
