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Wrecks involving trucks clog up two interstates around Charlotte on Friday

In this image from Observer news partner WSOC, crews work to remove a truck that overturned on Interstate 85 near the Statesville Avenue exit on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. The wreck closed three southbound lanes.
In this image from Observer news partner WSOC, crews work to remove a truck that overturned on Interstate 85 near the Statesville Avenue exit on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. The wreck closed three southbound lanes. WSOC

Two wrecks involving 18-wheelers clogged up highways in Charlotte on Friday.

Just after 1 p.m., a collision involving a gasoline tanker closed all but one lane of Interstate 485 outer loop and exit 10B to I-85 South, according to the N.C. Department of Transportation and Charlotte Fire Department.

“Significant delays in the area,” the fire department posted on Twitter with footage from the scene. “Seek alternate routes.

Firefighters controlled a leak from the tanker in 30 minutes, the fire department said.

No injuries were reported.

“Expected impact to traffic is High,” NCDOT said on its DriveNC real-time traffic page.

Lanes could remain closed until just after 5 p.m., according to NCDOT.

Drivers on southbound I-485 should exit at Mount Holly Road, then:

To get to I-85: Right on Mount Holly Road to Main Street in Mount Holly (NC 273), then left to I-85.

To continue on I-485: Right on Mount Holly then left on Rhyne Road. South to Moores Chapel Road and make a right. Then left on Sam Wilson Road to I-85 or Wilkinson Boulevard.

I-85 wreck injures 1

Five hours earlier, a wreck involving a car and an 18-wheeler closed three of four lanes for several hours on Interstate 85 in Charlotte, emergency officials said.

A person involved in the wreck had non-life threatening injuries, Medic reported on Twitter.

The truck overturned on I-85 southbound near Statesville Road Exit 39, according to the fire department.

In this image from Observer news partner WSOC, crews work to remove a truck that overturned on Interstate 85 near the Statesville Avenue exit on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. The wreck closed three southbound lanes.
In this image from Observer news partner WSOC, crews work to remove a truck that overturned on Interstate 85 near the Statesville Avenue exit on Friday, Sept. 2, 2022. The wreck closed three southbound lanes. WSOC

State highway officials previously said it could take until mid-afternoon to open all of the lanes.

Backups reached 5 miles on I-85, NCDOT said on Twitter.

I-77 wreck

A third wreck, on Interstate 77 northbound in Huntersville, closed a lane at 2:15 p.m. for about 15 minutes before the scene was cleared, according to NCDOT.

This story was originally published September 2, 2022 at 9:24 AM.

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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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