Traffic to O'Hare Airport resumes after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked road

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Traffic was returning to normal on the Kennedy Expressway late Monday morning, after pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the I-190 access road to O'Hare International Airport.

Several protest groups shared videos on Instagram showing a group of people sitting with their arms interlocked on the Interstate 190 access road between the Kennedy Expressway and O'Hare , blocking all lanes of traffic headed to the airport.

The protest began around 8 a.m., and dozens of police cars and other emergency vehicles then blocked I-190 as police tried to contain the protest groups blocking traffic. Aviation officials said traffic had resumed by around 9:15 a.m.

Protesters were wearing signs reading "Free Palestine" and "Stop Genocide." Organizers said they were seeking to disrupt Boeing's operations, because the company sells weapons to Israel, and to demand an end to the U.S. government's arming of Israel.

"On this Tax Day, when millions are paying taxes which fund the ongoing U.S and Israeli bombardment of Gaza, protestors seek to take dramatic action," the group Chicago Dissenters wrote in an Instagram post . "O'Hare International Airport is one of the largest in the country, and there will be NO business as usual while Palestinians suffer at the hands of American funded bombing by Israel."

Other videos shared by protesters showed people getting out of their cars on I-190 and walking to O'Hare with their luggage while the road to the airport was blocked.

A passenger who arrived at O'Hare during the protest shared video from outside the terminals, showing dozens of people waiting on the curb, with no cars or shuttle buses able to drop off or pick up waiting travelers.

Traffic was still moving slower than normal as of 11 a.m., and travelers should consider using the CTA Blue Line to get to O'Hare until traffic returns to normal.

Police said multiple people were arrested, but could not provide an exact number of arrests.

Similar protests were also held in other cities on Monday as part of what organizers dubbed an "economic blockade for a free Palestine."

A group of protesters completely blocked traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco to Marin County in California.

Protesters also blocked all northbound lanes of Interstate 880 in Oakland , California.