I-85 reopens after truck gets stuck under bridge

Two southbound Interstate 85 lanes reopened Saturday afternoon, more than 3 hours after a refrigerated truck got stuck while driving under a bridge.

The truck, which is 16 feet high, was trying to drive under Highway 273 when it got stuck at exit 26, the Mount Holly/Belmont exit.

Troopers at the scene said the driver would be cited and fined for the truck being too tall and off route.

The driver of the escort van that was accompanying the truck disagreed and said the truck was approved by the N.C. Department of Transportation to travel from High Point to exit 10, 17 miles south of where the truck got stuck.

The spotter driver said the permit mentioned that the height problem shows up after exit 10, and suggested the state had the permit backwards.

According to troopers, the citation will not be a criminal citation and once the truck was freed from the bridge, it was allowed to drive away.

The truck got stuck about 10:40 a.m. All lanes reopened about 2 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation. That stretch of I-85 has three lanes.

The truck was on its way to Austin, Texas, but the driver said it would return to High Point because the truck is damaged.

Staff Writer Joe Marusak contributed.

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This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 1:49 PM with the headline "I-85 reopens after truck gets stuck under bridge."