A troubled man who climbed the Bay Bridge, snarling westbound traffic for a few hours Wednesday, was "safely talked down," according to the California Highway Patrol.

The NBC Bay Area SkyRanger around 10:45 a.m. showed cars backed up on Interstate 80 between Oakland and San Francisco due to the closure of two westbound lanes approaching Treasure Island.

The incident began with a red pickup truck stalling in the No. 1 lane. When a tow truck driver arrived, the man jumped out of the car and scaled the bridge's center anchorage. He was "distraught" and threatened to harm himself, the CHP said.

San Francisco Police Department negotiators were called to the scene and established communication with the man, who was dressed in jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball cap. He appeared to be talking on his cell phone at one point.

Around 1:15 p.m., CHP officers out of San Francisco tweeted a picture of a woman hugging the man, who was flanked by police officers. All lanes have also been opened, they wrote.

No further details were immediately available.