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This story was updated Friday, April 1, 2019 at 5:23 pm with the Bridge Inspection Report.
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UPDATE at 19:00: Interstate 75 North to Interstate 24 West towards Chattanooga has been reopened. The Tennessee Road Patrol stated that the Tennessee Department of Transportation was working on opening the I-75 South portion in the coming hours.
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UPDATE at 15:12: The I-75 South Bridge, which partially collapsed late Monday morning, is expected to reopen tonight as officials announce they will put a barrier blocking the collapsed side and leave traffic in the other. way.
Some school buses may be delayed this afternoon due to collapse, according to an alert sent to parents in Hamilton County Schools.
A Tennessee Department of Transportation official said that it was still unclear what caused the collapse of the bridge's concrete ramp during the merger between I-24 and the I-24. # 39; I-75. However, officials are convinced that the structure of the bridge is solid and that it will not cause other injuries.
The bridge was inspected in the middle of last year and showed that its structural structure was right, according to Steve Hutchings, regional manager of the TDOT Bridge. "There were normal problems that an old bridge would have, but there was nothing wrong with that structurally," he said. "We had no reason to think it would happen – everything was in good shape."
The result is considered a positive result, Hutchings said, with most bridges in the area considered fair.
The collapse of the wall occurred Monday around 11:30, when an outside beam of the bridge fell on the lower highway, said Joe Deering of the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
At a press conference Monday afternoon, Deering said the investigation was continuing, adding that officials were watching video footage to determine if an oversized truck could have caused the damage.
He indicated that the subcontractor expected to complete the split review project later this year will be called upon to make urgent repairs.
Officials also hope to reopen the corridors of the I-75 / I-24 merger sometime this evening or in the morning. In the meantime, police are urging motorists to avoid the area.
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ORIGINAL HISTORY: All lanes are currently stranded on I-75 North to I-24 West due to a concrete ramp that collapsed on the roadway from from the I-75 South interchange above.
Stakeholders also closed the ramp to the I-75 South Highway in Atlanta during the split.
The incident disrupted traffic at one of the busiest intersections in the area around noon Monday.
A car traveling as part of the I-75 / I-24 merger was hit by the fall of the railing. The Chattanooga Police Department confirmed that there was an injury that was not life threatening.
"A scary bridge has collapsed at one of the busiest crossroads in the country, where 75 and 24 people meet," said Chattanooga Mayor Andy Berke. "Really miraculous that no one is seriously hurt. [TDOT] is a [sic] the scene evaluating the cause and the traffic solutions ".
Jennifer Flynn, TDOT spokeswoman, said the bridge has not collapsed:
"The bridge has not collapsed," she wrote in an email. "The railing fell for some reason, our deck inspectors are on the scene."
All southbound vehicles were redirected to I-24 West.
TDOT Bridge Inspection and THP are also on the scene.
The area should be closed to traffic for an extended period.
Work to reorganize the split was already planned for this summer. The project is expected to cost about $ 65 million and is part of the IMPROVE law of former governor Bill Haslam.
Most existing trade routes will be moved and straightened. The design incorporates less dramatic curves and adds bridges called "flyways" that allow more room for interchange straps – similar to a smaller example of the interchange on I-75 and 153.
At present, it is unclear if the collapse will affect this construction. TDOT staff are gathering information to answer this question, among others, and will post it as soon as it becomes available, according to spokeswoman Jennifer Flynn.
Tennessee examined many of its bridges exactly two years ago after the collapse of a bridge between Interstate 85 in Atlanta in March 2017. The collapse was caused by debris under the bridge that had caught fire. It is unclear how extensive the TDOT exams were at that time, but the primary focus of the inspections was to ensure that items were not stored under bridges.
On Monday afternoon, The Times Free Press sent a request for open records requesting the results of the inspection of the south bridge of I-75.
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