VALDOSTA - The northbound lanes of Interstate 75 were closed Thursday after a tractor-trailer load struck an overpass in Lowndes County and caused damage so extensive that parts of the bridge will have to be replaced. <br>
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James Henry McKuhen, 53, of Tifton, was cited for a height violation after a backhoe he was hauling northbound hit the bridge about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, said Georgia State Patrol spokesman Gordy Wright. <br>
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The southbound lanes, which had briefly been closed after the accident, were reopened later Wednesday. But northbound traffic was being detoured around the bridge Thursday. The bridge itself also was closed. <br>
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About 40,000 vehicles travel that stretch of road daily, according to the Department of Transportation. <br>
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For most vehicles, the detour means simply jogging a few miles out of the way to Georgia Highway 41, which runs parallel to the interstate, Wright said. But trucks, which by law must use designated routes, will have to make a roughly 140-mile detour from Valdosta through Thomasville and Albany to Cordele. <br>
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Wright said the northbound lanes will remain closed for three to four days as the damaged portions of the bridge are removed. After that, lanes will be closed in one or both directions as needed to rebuild the bridge, which will take about eight weeks, he said.
