Early this morning, a major collision involving a semitruck led to the closure of all westbound lanes of Interstate 24 in Rutherford County, significantly disrupting traffic flow. WKRN reports that the accident, which happened near South Church Street, involved a tractor-trailer that blocked both lanes following a crash around 6 a.m.
The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office informed that the jack-knifed tractor-trailer began leaking diesel shortly after the incident occurred, fueling concerns of environmental hazard and traffic congestion. The wreckage stretching across the lanes created a significant bottleneck, and hazmat crews were summoned to manage roughly 70 gallons of diesel spillage, the cleanup necessitating an extended road closure while alternative routes were hastily signposted for the influx of rerouted vehicles.
According to a WSMV report, the section of I-24 affected was near the South Church Street Exit in Murfreesboro, with exits 81 through 80 being impacted by the closure. Commuters were advised to adjust their routes accordingly, with traffic being diverted to Joe B. Jackson Parkway and onto Highway 41 to bypass the accident site.
Following the cleanup efforts, the Tennessee Department of Transportation enabled the reopening of the interstate, which had initially been scheduled for 9:30 a.m. but ultimately concluded around 11 a.m., as noted by NewsChannel 5. As the tractor-trailer was also carrying 30,000 pounds of freight at the time of the collision, the recovery operation was sizable, engaging multiple emergency response agencies in an effort to expedite the process and minimize the overall disruption experienced by the travelling public.
