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Big rig overturns on I-485, closing part of highway near Ballantyne, NCDOT says

An overturned tractor-trailer closed Interstate 485 Inner Loop in Ballantyne area of south Charlotte on Tuesday, NC DOT officials said. The rig wrecked near Johnston Road exit.
An overturned tractor-trailer closed Interstate 485 Inner Loop in Ballantyne area of south Charlotte on Tuesday, NC DOT officials said. The rig wrecked near Johnston Road exit. WBTV

An overturned tractor-trailer closed Interstate 485 Inner Loop in the Ballantyne area of south Charlotte on Tuesday, state highway officials said.

The truck wrecked just after 1 p.m. near the Johnston Road exit, according to the North Carolina Department of Transportation.

I-485 finally reopened just after 5 p.m. according to an NCDOT traffic alert.

One person was hurt in the wreck, suffering non-life threatening injuries, Medic reported.

Just after the truck overturned, the Charlotte Fire Department said on Twitter that the Inner Loop at Carmel Road would be closed “for an extended period.”

The truck was hauling vegetable oil, WSOC-TV reported. Some of the oil spilled onto the highway, according to WCNC.

Drivers were advised to take Exit 57 and turn right onto N.C. 16 North, officials advised. Stay on N.C. 16 North for two miles and turn left onto N.C. 51. Take N.C. 51 (Pineville-Matthews Road) for five miles to access I-485 again, according to the state’s DriveNC.gov real-time travel website.

Trooper Ray Pierce, spokesman for the State Highway Patrol in Mecklenburg County, couldn’t immediately be reached later Tuesday.

This story was originally published November 9, 2021 at 3:26 PM.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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