Do you have an alternate route?

[papaof2]

A dump truck driver going along I-16 in middle Georgia with the dump bed UP came to a sudden stop (and probably a painful one, when the seat belt bruises kick in tomorrow - but no injuries were reported today). This site has one of the better pictures of the front of the dump bed against the destroyed guard rail and of the offset from where the bridge was:

www.ajc.com/news/traffic-alert-i-16-closed-in-both-directions-after-crash-shifts-interstate-bridge/UC52TA7OLFDJXFG3E63D2XVMAA/

The two lane concrete bridge he hit was moved about 6 feet off its supports so demolition will be in progress as soon as they can get the equipment in place. A seven mile section of I-16 is closed at the nearest exits until the damaged bridge is removed, tentatively by the end of next week. No prospects on replacing the damaged bridge but "State Highway 86 only sees 200 to 300 cars a day" in the words of one official. From the map, some folks may have a l-o-n-g drive to get to the "other side" of Highway 86.

The immediate detours around the closure are US 221 on the East side and GA 15 on the West side, then to their meeting point in Soperton, GA. Both roads are already showing slow traffic on Google Maps.

Someone from GDOT said he'd never heard of that type accident before - obviously he's never been to any of Youtube's "stupid drivers" links as this bit of stupidity isn't limited by national borders...

[gipsy]

Yep. There is a rail overpass that shows up regular like. It only has 11.5 ft of clearance, and removes a truck top every now and then.

[papaof2]

The vehicle was a large dump trailer and the semi tractor pulling it. The impact released the fifth wheel connector and the semi ended up in the woods on the other side of the median. Picture from the other side:

/photo/3

They managed to get the damaged bridge down and have the I16 lanes cleared in both directions by late afternoon today - appeciably sooner than GDOT had predicted.

Other pictures show the trailer was apparently removed by the "concrete cruncher" that was used to demolish the bridge as the trailer is on the side of the road in pieces.

Link to article:
www.ajc.com/news/crews-remove-damaged-bridge-over-i-16-begin-work-to-haul-debris/ZH6HSJN6AVEXTEYKD3TDTK3QAA/

Pertinent bits from the article:

The circumstances around the wreck are still under investigation. According to the Georgia State Patrol, the bridge was hit about 1 a.m. Thursday. The impact dislodged the center of the bridge from its concrete base and shifted it nearly 6 feet.

Traffic investigators have not determined why the trailer lifted, GSP spokesman Lt. Mark Riley said. The driver told troopers that a malfunction caused the trailer to tilt upward, according to a crash report obtained by the AJC, but no further details about the malfunction were included.

At a news conference Friday, a GSP spokesman said charges for the driver were expected and that the driver’s commercial license would be reviewed. The driver was cited for an expired license, according to the crash report.

Probably won't be a good day in court for the driver or the company...