A motorcyclist was killed on southbound 101 at the start of Thursday’s rush hour, when he apparently clipped another vehicle on the highway, then crashed into the center divide. The accident occurred at 5 p.m. just north of Poplar Avenue in San Mateo County.

The San Mateo County coroner’s office identified the motorcyclist as .

Charles Gomez, 45, of San Francisco.

Traffic came to a halt in two lanes of the busy commuter corridor and remained closed nearly 2 hours after the incident.

A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol said Gomez died at the scene.