Traffic was at a standstill on the A12 in north Essex after a lorry suffered a tyre blowout.
Police were called to the Colchester-bound carriageway near Feering at 10.20am.
The lorry was left stuck in the road – causing delays back nine miles to beyond Hatfield Peverel.
One lane was reopened but the road was not fully clear until around 2pm after a recovery team removed the lorry.
A police spokeswoman said no one was hurt. Motorists reported delays on nearby routes caused by the blowout.
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