CHICAGO (AP) — A massive traffic backup caused by standing water on the expressway into Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport prompted desperate travelers to get out of cars and walk along the roadway, with their luggage in tow.

Flooding closed Interstate 190 to one lane about a mile from the domestic terminals on Tuesday after heavy rains hit the area overnight. O’Hare is the nation’s second-busiest airport.

Traveler Jami Cloud tells WMAQ-TV that after being stuck for two hours in a cab, there was no other option but to walk.

The Illinois Department of Transportation says a pumping station channeling storm runoff into a river failed. The agency thinks a construction project also contributed to the water buildup.

Snow plows eventually pushed water off the roadway and all lanes reopened by mid-morning.

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