Street racers on Sunday night shut down the Fremont Bridge, snarling traffic in order to let a few daring drivers burn rubber and turn tight circles on the span's lower deck.

A throng of spectators and their souped-up cars blocked northbound motorists beginning around 10 p.m., police and onlookers said.

"It was a surreal scene," said Kristine Britton Dills, who was driving home with her twin daughters when traffic came to a standstill.

Video captured by Britton Dills, a Southeast Portland resident, shows nearly a dozen people — smartphones in hand — watching a pair of cars carve "donuts" in the middle of the bridge.

Cops later cited a couple of drivers involved in the incident, said Sgt. Pete Simpson, a Portland Police Bureau spokesman.

Sunday's scene was not the first time street racers have commandeered the Fremont Bridge for kicks. Portland police arrested six people in 2015 after a crew of car enthusiasts blocked the bridge four times in a single week.

-- Shane Dixon Kavanaugh

skavanaugh@oregonian.com

503-294-7632 || @shanedkavanaugh