Tanker truck explosion closes I-65 at Peytonsville Road...Tennessee

Interstate 65 is closed in both directions at Peytonsville Road Friday morning following a tanker truck explosion.


Peytonsville Road where it meets the Goose Creek Bypass is also shut down.


The tanker collided with a pillar of the Peytonsville Road overpass while traveling south on I-65 just before 4 a.m. and burst into flames.


The Tennessee Highway Patrol has advised that the bridge over I-65 may not hold up due to the intense heat and flames following the explosion. TDOT bridge engineers are inspecting the overpass.


The Peytonsville Road bridge has been under construction for several months and several pieces of equipment also caught fire following the explosion.


Witnesses inside the nearby Travel Center truck stop said they heard several loud explosions.


"It was so loud I thought a building was exploding,” Lonnie Spears told News 2, adding, “I saw metal flying off the bridge like popcorn. Getting off to rest [at the truck stop] probably saved my life."


"The entire southbound side and even the bride was on fire," said Tony Trombo, who was traveling in the area at the time of the explosion. "I couldn't actually see what was on fire because it was so bad."


Williamson County resident Ron Rowlett told News 2 the crash site is an accident prone area.


"We see accidents at this exit on a daily basis. My heart goes out to the family, but this is a fairly common occurrence because the ramp near the exit is very short," he said.


The driver was killed in the crash. His identity was not immediately released. It is not known if anyone else was in the truck’s cab.


Traffic on I-65 is backed up for miles. Secondary routes are also extremely slow.


For alternates, use either Highway 431 to go north or use State Route 840 to get around the crash. Highway 96 is also a good route around the scene.

http://www.wkrn.com/story/26287536/...both-directions-due-to-tanker-truck-explosion