ST. AUGUSTINE; Fla. – The overpass bridge for County Road 214 across I-95 was struck by a dump truck Wednesday morning and damaged, according to St. Johns County deputies.
Two southbound lanes on I-95 near exit 315 were closed because of debris in the road.
The dump truck was heading southbound when it hit the overpass around 3 a.m., causing major delays and backups throughout the morning rush. The clearance for the overpass is just over 13 feet.
Video from the scene not only shows the damage but also parts of the dump truck, which appears to have turned over.
The Sheriff’s Office said CR 214 eastbound and westbound lanes would be closed for an undetermined amount of time because Florida Department of Transportation engineers need to assess the damage and make sure the overpass is still safe to use.
“It’s incredibly frustrating because there’s no quick way to get around,” said driver Peter Friedrich, who uses the overpass several times a week. “You either have to go all the way around 16, come up and around, which is probably a half an hour, if not longer.”
FDOT spokesman Hampton Ray said crews responded immediately after receiving notification of the crash. As is standard operating procedure, engineers are inspecting the bridge to make sure it is structurally safe to drive over. Unfortunately, there is no time frame on when the lanes will reopen just yet.
FDOT’s data shows the last time the overpass was inspected was in 2017
At one point, Florida Highway Patrol troopers were rerouting traffic from I-95 southbound onto State Road 16 near exit 318, according to Florida 511 but lanes later reopened.
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