Accident on Big Blue bypass slows morning commute to a standstill

BEATRICE, NE (Doug Kennedy / News Channel Nebraska) - A collision on a bypass south of Beatrice, snarled eastbound traffic between 8 and 9 a.m. Monday.
The accident happened on West Locust Road, which has seen a considerable increase in traffic in recent days, as a bypass around Big Blue River flooding in Beatrice.
The collision happened near U.S. Highway 77 and West Locust, as people were going to work or school, Monday morning.
No details on what caused the crash and there was no immediate word on the extent of any injuries. One SUV involved in the collision had significant front-end damage and was blocking the eastbound inside lane of Locust Road.
Gage County Deputies were on the scene this morning, investigating the accident.
At one point, thirty to forty vehicles were stopped facing east, waiting to turn onto U.S. Highway 77.