Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel truck stuck after driver ignored warnings

A truck driver ignored cops’ warnings Thursday that his tractor-trailer was too big to make it through the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel — and yes, he got stuck, plugging traffic between Brooklyn and Manhattan for hours, authorities said.

The oversized 18-wheeler got wedged about a mile inside a Brooklyn-bound lane of the tunnel, said Catherine Sheridan, the MTA’s head of bridges and tunnels.

“He ignored all of the signage that was in place on the highway. He ignored the officer who tried to stop him at the portal of the tunnel,” Sheridan said.

The officer “got out of his vehicle and tried to flag the driver down,” Sheridan said. “The driver ignored all of his warnings and continued through the tunnel.”

The truck came to a stop mid-river, said Sheridan.

“The trailer was wedged between the roof of the tunnel and [the road], and that’s where he stayed for about two hours,” she added.

The tunnel is restricted to vehicles with a maximum height of 12 feet, one inch. It was not immediately clear how tall the truck was.

MTA officials said the truck was also traveling illegally in the high-occupancy vehicle lane, and entered the tunnel via a lane marked closed.

The big rig was hauling a cargo of paint, and was in between scheduled deliveries in Brooklyn and on Long Island, officials said.

The truck was pulled out of the tunnel around 12:15 p.m. by MTA officers assisted by the FDNY.

The unidentified driver was hit with multiple alleged violations, including illegally traveling in an HOV lane, disobeying posted over-height warning signs, damaging property, and failing to obey an officer.

Officers also cited the driver for having a flat tire.

Sheridan said she expected the tunnel to reopen for the Thursday evening rush.