Truck damages I-40 bridge in west Jackson
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WEST JACKSON — The Interstate 40 bridge crossing over Highway 412 was damaged by a truck passing underneath just after noon Tuesday. Tennessee Department of Transportation officials said their first priority was making sure the integrity of the bridge wasn’t compromised. “The Interstate 40 bridge is sound and it will remain open,” TDOT’s Nichole Lawrence told WBBJ. “The only time any kind of closures will be had will be on U.S. 412, and that’s when the concrete repairs are being made or the sign that was knocked down will be replaced.” The Tennessee Highway Patrol said the driver, who has not been identified, hasn’t been charged, but he did receive a lengthy list of violations including leaving the scene of the crash and at least 12 different equipment violations. One truck driver we spoke with said he’s seen crashes like this before and thinks the driver is lucky nobody else was injured. “Imagine if there were somebody right behind them, and they go underneath the bridge like that and have something way up in the air, they knock a chunk of concrete out of a bridge. What about the poor guy right behind them?” truck driver Robert Andresen said. TDOT has cleared all the debris on both I-40 and Highway 412 so it is safe to drive. Officials with the department expect it to take a couple weeks to finish any repairs the bridge may need as a result of the crash.
