KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — A collision with a bear caused traffic delays along westbound Interstate 40 early Monday morning, according to the Tennessee Highway Patrol.

The South Carolina driver who struck the bear was uninjured. A preliminary THP crash report states that the driver operating a tractor-trailer was traveling westbound on I-40 near mile marker 443 near the Foothills Parkway exit when they struck a bear that entered the roadway from the right shoulder.

The driver safely pulled off the interstate to the shoulder after the wildlife-vehicle collision or WVC. Traffic was backed up for some time.

WATE 6 On Your Side has reached out to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency for more information about the bear.

A last check, the I-40 Pigeon River Gorge Wildlife Crossing Project, which is spearheaded by the Smokies Safe Passage Coalition, is still in the works in order to help prevent WVCs in the area.