All lanes on I-485 Inner reopened at start of rush hour in NW Charlotte after fatal wreck
One person died and another was hospitalized with life-threatening injuries in a wreck that shut down part of Interstate 485 in northwest Charlotte at Mount Holly Road near Exit 14 for several hours Wednesday afternoon.
The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, Medic said on Twitter about 2 p.m. The highway was closed at that point around the accident.
All lanes reopened by 5 p.m., according to the N.C. Department of Transportation
The highway initially was expected to be closed until 7 p.m., NCDOT officials said, right through the heart of the evening rush hour around Charlotte.
Just before 4:30 p.m., the two right lanes remained closed, NCDOT reported on Twitter, leaving just one lane open.
Police haven’t released any information about what caused the wreck. It was raining at the time, and has been raining off and on through much of the day around Charlotte. But it was not known if weather was a factor.
Traffic was a real hassle around the site of the accident throughout the afternoon.
Detours for I-485 fatal wreck
NCDOT had advised drivers looking to avoid the scene of the deadly accident to detour onto Exit 14 (N.C. 27/Mount Holly Road), turn left and head east for 5 miles, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Drivers were then told to turn left onto Interstate 85 North, travel 2 miles to Exit 36 (N.C. 16/Brookshire Blvd.) and turn left onto N.C. 16. The detour then led north for 5 miles to return to I-485.
Other Charlotte interstate wrecks
NCDOT reported other wrecks on I-485 and Interstate 77 in Charlotte Wednesday afternoon, including:
▪ Mile marker 3.6 of the I-485 outer loop. The scene was cleared just before 4 p.m., with no injuries reported.
▪ Mile marker 0.4 of the I-485 inner loop. The wreck just before 4:30 p.m. closed one lane.
▪ Mile marker 11 of the I-485 inner loop at 4:20 p.m. One lane was closed.
▪ Mile marker 5 of I-77 South, crash cleared at 2:40 p.m.
This story was originally published March 16, 2022 at 2:55 PM.