Georgia interstate will reopen ahead of schedule after being closed because of bridge accident
By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN
Interstate 16 in south Georgia, which was closed in both directions after a large dump trailer damaged an overpass in Treutlen County, will open ahead of schedule, state Department of Transportation District Engineer Corbett Reynolds said Friday afternoon.
The GDOT originally expected the westbound lanes to open by Sunday morning, but those lanes will open Friday, Reynolds said. Eastbound lanes should open Saturday, he said.
“We’ll be asking Georgia State Patrol to escort the traffic down from our traffic patrol on the other side of Exit 78 and crews will continue to work diligently to get the other side safed-up, so that we can prepare to open at latest tomorrow morning on the eastbound side,” Reynolds said.
Traffic has been shut down in both directions and detoured since the large truck struck the bridge on Thursday, creating a danger when the bridge deck shifted off its supports by 6 feet over the interstate below, the GDOT said in a news release.
The entire bridge deck had to be destroyed before the interstate could be reopened.
“That will be the fastest way to reopen I-16,” GDOT Commissioner Russell McMurry said Thursday. “We already have crews out there, underway, preparing for this demolition, and mobilization of specialized demolition equipment is in route and will begin demolition this evening.”
Reopening the westbound lane that runs from Savannah to Macon was the priority, according to McMurray, for a number of reasons, including the freight flow from the Savannah Port into middle Georgia and Metro Atlanta. However, it is also the biggest safety issue.
Deputy Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Public Safety Lt. Colonel William W. Hitchens III said there would be “some charges coming” against the driver of the dump trailer that struck the bridge.
“We’ve already identified some things, but we want to finish the investigation before we make a final decision on exactly what we charge the driver with and traffic charges and things that go along with his commercial license,” Hitchens said.
According to Hitchens the driver was not seriously injured in the wreck.
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