NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — Traffic was snarled for hours around Nashville International Airport (BNA) Monday afternoon, leaving some passengers stranded.

Whether they were trying to get dropped off or picked up at BNA, many travelers were impacted by what airport officials called an "unexpected event."

Details about what happened are unclear but airport officials released a final statement around 11 p.m., which reads:

Traffic volume and flow have returned to normal based on 70,000 departing and arriving passengers (average day at BNA). We'd like to thank our BNA passengers, employees and partners for their patience and understanding during today's unexpected traffic event. Our Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority leadership team will conduct an after-action review to identify root causes, lesson learned and develop a corrective action plan to prevent this from occurring again. Thanks for your understanding.

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The traffic situation began worsening around 2 p.m.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) reported milling and paving on Donelson Pike near BNA was stopped by 1:30 p.m. Monday. The work is expected to cause slow traffic daily from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

A TDOT spokesperson said a crash on Terminal Drive near the airport was cleared by 4 p.m.

Airport officials noted traffic assistance was provided by the Metro Nashville Police Department and the Tennessee Highway Patrol though extreme backups and delays endured.

Travelers missed flights while some passengers got out of vehicles on Interstate 40 and began walking toward the airport with their luggage. Some passengers waited at least two hours for ride shares to pick them up.

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/nashville/bna-traffic-issues/