Their baby was about to be born. Then they hit the epic Glenn Highway traffic jam.

PALMER — Ron and Tonya Bell got as far as the Old Glenn Highway when the first contraction hit.

The Wasilla couple joined tens of thousands of Mat-Su drivers Thursday in the epic traffic jam dubbed "Bridgepocalypse" after a too-tall truck load damaged an Eagle River overpass on the Glenn Highway and closed southbound lanes.

But they were among just a few about to have a baby.

The Bells started out for the Alaska Native Medical Center on Thursday morning.

They ended up at Mat-Su Regional Medical Center about three hours later and delivered one of four babies born to parents whose birthing plans originally involved Anchorage.

Also, they became instant Facebook stars.

A selfie Ron shot as they drove for Mat-Su rose through Thursday's social media chatter and memes — Gandalf under the busted overpass, Mad Max references, that guy who dressed like a turtle — and shot to viral status.

Before Thursday's posts were cleared from a Glenn Highway Facebook group, Bell counted upward of 9,000 "likes," a thousand comments and 500 shares.

"When I put that picture up, it was just for laughs," he said Friday. "I figured everybody else was posting memes. Next thing I know, I was like holy crap! What's going on here?"

Comments centered on congratulations and good wishes. Of course, there were name suggestions: Glenn, Glenda, Bridget, Bridger. Bridget Falls, if they wanted to add a middle name.

"They were quite comical, actually," said Ron, 39, a chef with a touch of Georgia twang and the adrenaline-seeking personality nurtured by a stint in Colorado. "I wasn't taking any of them seriously."

They had bigger things to worry about.

Tonya, a 36-year-old self-employed accountant, felt her water break just after 9 a.m. The couple got ready for the trip to Anchorage. They knew traffic was tied up. One of Ron's friends told him it took five hours to get into the city.

"Everything was smooth sailing until we hit Peters Creek," Ron said.

They turned onto the Old Glenn Highway, and that's where the logjam started. And Tonya's first contraction.

They turned back for Mat-Su. Made it all the way back to Trunk Road — the exit for the hospital off the Parks Highway.

But Tonya said she hadn't felt another contraction. She wanted to try for Anchorage again. They turned around and hit the Old Glenn at Peters Creek again. More gridlock.

"We were cruising down pretty good at about 3 to 5 miles an hour," Ron said. "She was timing her contractions and everything. We got about five miles down the road. 'Babe, we're at five minutes now.' "

Most hospitals generally recommend pregnant women show up when contractions regularly get to five minutes apart.

They turned around again.

Ron said he told Tonya that if she could hang on for 10 minutes, he could get her to Mat-Su Regional. Twelve minutes later, and at speeds that only got to 85 mph, Ron swears, they arrived.

Mackenzie Rose Bell was born about three hours later, at 3:30 p.m.

Her parents hoped to take her home Friday evening after she meets her new brothers, Tonya's 9- and 14-year old sons. Ron also has a 15-year-old son in Colorado.

Their baby was one of four born at Mat-Su Regional on Thursday to women who planned to give birth in Anchorage. Two got turned around in traffic and three didn't even try, according to Christine Gundel, director of the hospital's Family Birthing Center. One more woman came in Thursday and was still in labor Friday afternoon.

Bell said he didn't intend to get briefly famous Thursday.

"We were just trying to have some fun with the circumstances at hand," he said. "But it's good to share some joy and happiness in such negative times."

Daily News photographer Bob Hallinen contributed to this story.