Crews are continuing to work on emergency repairs today after a large chunk of concrete railing fell off an I-75 North bridge onto the I-24 westbound ramp below in Chattanooga, Tenn., late Monday morning, injuring one person.
A section of I-75 was closed down to traffic after the collapse, near where the interstate splits with I-24, according to a report from The Tennessean. Tennessee DOT (TDOT) officials told local sources that it could take a month to repair the bridge.
One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries when the outer beam of the bridge fell and struck their vehicle, according to the Chattanooga Fire Department. The driver could not stop in time at the moment of the collapse and crashed into the concrete, according to WSB-TV.
The bridge was built in the 1950s and was last inspected in July 2018, at which time it was reportedly given a "fair" rating and determined to not be structurally deficient.
The Tennessee Highway Patrol announced that the I-24 westbound lanes at the I-75 split had been reopened Monday evening. TDOT crews reportedly opened one lane of I-75 southbound Monday night.
TDOT has said that the beam's failure suggests it may have recently been struck by something, but the agency is unsure of how it happened. According to a report from CNN, investigators of the collapse are still trying to determine its cause. Officials told a CNN affiliate that an oversized truck possibly hit the railing and knocked it off the interstate, but so far no such vehicle has been identified. Officials are continuing to investigate the incident.
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Source: The Tennessean / CNN / WSB-TV / Times Free Press
