Crews have demolished a damaged overpass above a Georgia interstate and are hauling away the debris with the aim of reopening the road soon, authorities said Friday.
In an update, the Georgia Department of Transportation said crews worked through the night to break up the overpass and will remove its remains Friday.
Authorities said they hope to reopen Interstate 16, which connects much of Georgia to its coastline, by next week after a crash knocked the overpass bridge from its support beams. Officials decided the fastest and safest way to reopen I-16 was to destroy the badly damaged overpass.
A short stretch of the interstate was closed in both directions after a tractor-trailer hit the overpass Thursday. Detours have been set up on nearby roads.
“Apparently, the tractor-trailer has a dump bed similar to a dump truck,” said Russell McMurry, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Transportation. “It appears that it was raised, which then struck the bridge.”