There are no injuries but the bridge was destroyed and traffic is chaotic.
A bridge can certainly stop semi-trucks on the highway. But there isn’t much else that can. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, that’s exactly what happened on July 15. According to reports, a semi-truck pulled by a large dump truck struck an overpass on Interstate 16 and the impact was so strong that it literally smashed the bridge from its foundation. According to Russel McMurry, Georgia Department of Transportation Commissioner Russel McMurry, both the GDOT East Traffic and Georgia DOT Twitter accounts alerted motorists of this crash that occurred at 3:00 am local time. Although it is not clear if trailer was raised or if it was raised by itself, the impact pushed State Route 86’s overpass six feet from its foundation. The bridge crosses I-16 halfway between Savannah and Macon. Dramatic photos clearly show the impact of this collision and, frankly speaking, it’s remarkable that the semi driver was not injured.
It is obvious that the trailer has been destroyed. However, the bridge is still intact. Commissioner McMurry said that the fastest way to reopen I-16 is to demolish the bridge in a press conference. It appears that the bridge’s construction only included a single beam, which spans the highway. This is what caused the entire thing to move so quickly. I-16 should be fully open by July 21st, so demolition is complete. One lane per direction will be open in the shortest time frame, according to a more urgent plan. There is currently no timeline for the replacement of the bridge.
The driver of the truck responsible for this disturbance is not mentioned in the report. As it stands now, westbound traffic on I-16 will have to take a 24-mile detour in order to clear the seven-mile stretch closed highway that runs from the bridge that was damaged. Eastbound traffic will be subject to a 10-mile detour. Both detours are designed to alleviate congestion in two small towns along the route. There is a plan to move things along during the cleanup.
Over the years we’ve seen many crazy bridges, but none are as beautiful. Nellie found these images disturbing. Keep safe everyone.