I-16 reopened to westbound traffic just after 5 p.m. Friday and to eastbound traffic just before 8 p.m., on the second day after after a truck struck a bridge near Soperton in South Georgia with enough force to shift the bridge deck by several feet.
The AJC is providing updates on the road closing and plans for the replacement of the bridge.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Georgia DOT now says the eastbound lanes are open.
Here is what motorists need to know about detours and potential alternatives if you need to drive between Dublin and Savannah.
I-16 remains closed to eastbound traffic between State Route 15, exit 71, and U.S. 221, exit 78, with marked detours directing traffic through nearby Soperton. The crash happened about 100 miles west of Savannah. The highway is a main corridor for tourist and business travel, as well as for trucks serving Georgia’s deep-water port on the Savannah River.
DOT said in a written update Thursday afternoon that drivers should expect delays in the detour areas, adding “motorists are encouraged to find an alternate route, if possible, given the anticipated traffic volumes.”
For motorists driving to or from the Georgia coast, officials say U.S. 441 and U.S. 341 can offer an alternate route between Dublin and Brunswick, which is close to Jekyll Island and St. Simons Island. Southbound motorists would exit I-16 onto U.S. 441 just south of Dublin to U.S. 341 south in McRae. For traffic updates, follow @ajcwsbtraffic on Twitter.
Georgia DOT said truck drivers may also consider Georgia 297 and U.S. 1 as alternate routes.
Here is the route for the detour around the damaged bridge on I-16, according to the Georgia State Patrol.
I-16 Eastbound:
- Take Exit 71 to Georgia 15 South (right turn) through Soperton
- Left onto Georgia 46
- Left onto Georgia 56 to I-16
Credit: Special
Credit: Special
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