Eastbound I-40 at Tennessee line closed due to tanker spill
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) – A tanker truck has overturned and spilled its load of tar on Interstate 40 near the Tennessee line, leading transportation officials in North Carolina to close the eastbound lanes.
According to a news release from the N.C. Department of Transportation, the truck was 95 percent full of tar, and spilled its contents on Friday.
Drivers heading east on I-40 from the Knoxville area can take Interstate 81 north, then Interstate 26 east to reach Asheville to return to I-40.
Traffic is utilizing exit and access ramps at Exit 7 to continue on I-40, but the backup had stretched to the Tennessee state line by noon.
Officials hoped to reopen the interstate by 9 p.m.
