Overturned crash on U.S. 264 backs up traffic near Wendell

An overturned vehicle on U.S. 264 near Wendell shut two lanes and backed eastbound traffic up more than a mile Saturday night, turning a single wreck into a long delay for eastern Wake County drivers. The left lane reopened around 9 p.m., about 45 minutes after crews were first called to the scene.

The crash was reported around 8:15 p.m. June 13 near exit 13, east of the U.S. 64 Business interchange in eastern Wake County. CBS 17 reported that the vehicle ended up overturned and resting on trees off the roadway, a scene that closed the affected lanes while responders worked to clear the highway.

Traffic slowed or stopped as the backup stretched more than a mile eastbound on one of Wake County’s key connectors. U.S. 264 carries steady traffic between Wendell, Knightdale and the wider Triangle, so even a short closure can quickly spill into a significant delay for weekend travel and local commuting.

The initial report did not include details on what caused the crash, and no injuries or charges were reported in the early coverage. That left the main immediate impact on the road itself: two closed lanes, a roadside recovery operation and a growing line of cars waiting to move.

For drivers trying to cross eastern Wake County, the incident underscored how narrow the margin is on U.S. 264 when a crash blocks more than the shoulder. North Carolina Department of Transportation’s DriveNC system remains the state’s real-time source for traffic maps, accident details, cameras and road conditions, the kind of tool commuters rely on when a wreck near Wendell can quickly ripple across the route.