LAKE HARTWELL, S.C. — An overturned tractor-trailer hauling vehicles shut down all southbound lanes of Interstate 85 at the Georgia-South Carolina state line Wednesday morning July 1 after crashing on the Lake Hartwell bridge and spilling oil into the lake.
According to the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the crash happened around 3:40 a.m. on the southbound bridge at the state line. The tractor-trailer overturned, leaving multiple vehicles it was transporting scattered across the roadway and bridge. The driver was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.
The crash also caused oil from the truck to spill into Lake Hartwell. Oconee County Emergency Management hazardous materials crews responded to contain the spill, while deputies with the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office assisted at the scene.
The closure backed up traffic for several miles as authorities diverted southbound motorists off the interstate at Exit 1 onto S.C. Highway 11, resulting in heavy congestion. The interstate reopened after crews removed the overturned truck, the vehicles it was hauling and debris from the bridge.
Motorists traveling south on I-85 were advised to exit at either Exit 1 or Exit 4 and use U.S. Highway 123 through Westminster to Toccoa. From Toccoa, drivers could follow Big A Road to Georgia Highway 17, which leads to Lavonia and the Interstate 85 southbound entrance ramp at Exit 173.
Drivers traveling from Anderson, South Carolina, into Georgia were advised to take U.S. Highway 29 to Hartwell, then Georgia Highway 77 back to Interstate 85 via the southbound entrance ramp at Exit 177.
Meanwhile, a separate crash that had closed northbound lanes of Interstate 85 between Exits 173 and 177 in Georgia was cleared Wednesday morning, and all northbound lanes reopened.
The cause of the southbound crash remains under investigation.
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