Hide Transcript Show Transcript

WEBVTT COULD OVERRIDE THE GOVERNOR'S VETO. >> WORK TO REOPEN ANOTHER LANE OF IFRPBL 73 SOUTH IS NOW UNDER WAY. TRUCK CRASH THERE LAST WEEK. >> MALORY LANE IS LIVE FOR US THE BRIDGE WORK REPORTER: YEAH, GUYS. THE LEFT LANE AND SHOULDER ON I-73 SOUTHBOUND ARE STILL BLOCKED. THEY ARE BLOCKED WITH A PORTABLE CREWS WORKING AWA RIGHT NOW THE DEPARTMENT OF THE RESULTS OF A TEST TO DETERMINE IF THE STEEL BEAMS THAT TOOK THE BRUNT OF THE DAMAGE FROM THAT FIRE NEED TO BE REPLACED. D.O.T. SAYS THOSE RESULTS WILL HELP TO DETERMINE A BETTER TIME LANE AND COST OF REPAIRS D.O.T. EXPECTS THOSE TESTS WILL COME BACK AS EARLY AS TOMORROW. DRIVERS ARE ASKED TO USE CAUTION AND SLOW DOWN IN THIS AREA AS CREWS CONTINUE THEIR WORK. TONIGHT WE'RE SEEING, AS RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC BEGINS, THAT THAT AREA IS STILL CONGESTED

Advertisement 2 lanes now open on Interstate 73 South bridge in Greensboro Big rig driver hauling gasoline escapes fiery crash believed to be caused by speed, icy road conditions Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Two of three lanes are now open on the Interstate 73 South bridge where a fuel tanker crash and fire has limited traffic since last week.Flatiron Constructors, a contractor for the N.C. Department of Transportation, set a portable concrete barrier wall on Tuesday to block off the left lane and shoulder near the end of the bridge, where the crash caused the most damage.With the barrier set, NCDOT opened the center lane to traffic. The right lane reopened on the night of the crash, last Thursday.Work to make the left lane functional again is ongoing.The department is waiting for test results that will indicate if the steel beams impacted the most by the fire need to be replaced, giving NCDOT a better idea of what the repair may cost and how long it will take.It is hoped those results will be available sometime Wednesday.Drivers are asked to be mindful of posted signage and use caution while crews continue to work in this limited-traffic corridor.Troopers with the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said icy road conditions and speed were contributing factors that led to a fuel tanker carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline to crash at about 7:35 a.m. the morning of the crash. Authorities said Carl Throckmorton II, 40, of Scottsburg, Virginia, was traveling south on I-73 in a 2002 Kenworth tractor-trailer, hauling a tanker load of gasoline from Greensboro to Asheboro, when the crash happened.Investigators said Throckmorton exceeded a safe speed for the icy roadway and lost control. The vehicle traveled off the roadway to the right, struck an embankment of plowed snow, and then a concrete bridge safety barrier. The vehicle then overturned on its top and came to rest. Throckmorton is now charged with exceeding a safe speed. Throckmorton was able to safely exit the vehicle before it caught on fire. He was taken to Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. First responders say that Throckmorton and other people who witnessed the accident are very lucky to be okay.Everybody is pretty lucky,” said Fire Chief Steve Allred with the Pinecroft Sedgefield Fire Department. “The driver is lucky to get out of that alive with as much fire as he had. Passerby’s are lucky, there was so much gasoline dripping down below and coming out of different locations that made visibility hard. Also, when he hit the side, there was concrete that went down, probably the size of basketballs, onto the road below so there are a lot of people very lucky."Troopers said Throckmorton is charged with exceeding a safe speed. His family members say he was released from the hospital on Thursday evening and is currently recovering at his home in Virginia. The Highway Patrol warns that icy roads will continue to pose a threat to drivers. Drivers need to anticipate the fact these dangerous conditions could still be present.Representatives with the trucking company that Throckmorton works for, Associated Petroleum Carriers, say they are cooperating fully with law enforcement during the investigation. The company has also contracted an environmental firm to clean all of the gas that spilled during the accident.