Updated: Multiple accidents snarl traffic from Bluffton onto Hilton Head on Friday

Multiple backups were reported on U.S. 278 in Bluffton and across Hilton Head Island on Friday afternoon.

Traffic was backed up in the eastbound lanes from the Bluffton flyover, across the Hilton Head bridges and through the area where the highway crosses Spanish Wells Road, according to the Beaufort County traffic camera system.

Users of the Waze app reported heavy traffic in the westbound lanes starting at Jenkins Road and stretching onto the Cross Island Parkway and to the Hilton Head Plantation area.

An accident at Jenkins Road on Hilton Head Island blocked the left westbound lane of U.S. 278 just before 3:45 p.m., reported the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office traffic division.

A motorcycle crashed in that area, said Capt. Bob Bromage, spokesman for the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.

The rider sustained minor injuries, Bromage said.

Emergency Medical Services vehicles responding to the accident blocked the eastbound lanes of the highway, he said.

The lanes were reopened within a half hour, but another accident on U.S. 278 between the bridges to Hilton Head added to the delays.

Bromage said that accident in the eastbound lanes involved two vehicles and was quickly moved to the median.

Injuries in that accident were unknown.

Traffic cameras also showed heavy traffic along U.S. 278 from the highway’s intersection with Simmonsville Road in Bluffton to Burnt Church Road around the same time.

Waze users reported a minor crash in that area.

This story was originally published November 2, 2018 at 4:22 PM.