The driver of a car careened into the rear of a tractor trailer on the bridge's westbound upper lanes at around 5:20 a.m.
The driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene.
His female passenger was rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center in stable condition.
The driver of the tractor trailer was not hurt.
The crash, in the middle of the span, closed the bridge's upper level to traffic for the morning commute.
That delayed traffic for at least an hour in each direction.
And traffic avoiding the bridge caused residual delays at the Holland and Lincoln tunnels.
The westbound side of the bridge was also clogged with trucks with nowhere to go. Trucks are allowed only on the upper level of the bridge.
