UPDATE (8:55 p.m.) — The Florida Highway Patrol announced that all northbound I-75 lanes have been reopened but the SW 66th Street/Williams Road overpass remains closed.
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An oversized tractor-trailer traveling north on I-75 struck and damaged the SW 66th Street overpass near mile marker 347 south of Ocala on Wednesday morning.
According to a Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) release, the incident occurred around 9:13 a.m. A 50-year-old Lakeland man was driving the 2020 Freightliner tractor-trailer with a large steel tank as cargo. The top of the tank struck the underside of the SW 66th Street/Williams Road overpass and the concrete overpass sustained significant damage.
As of a 2 p.m. update, work crews are removing damaged concrete and debris and making repairs to the overpass.
Northbound traffic is being diverted off I-75 at the Country Road 484 exit at the 341 mile marker.
Southbound lanes remain open, but traffic is slow with an approximate 10-mile backup.
FHP suggests that motorists traveling I-75 around Ocala should seek other routes until further notice.
smh – I really can’t come up with anything to say that is suitable for public comment.
How about, “ how does that happen?”
Yes, but my fingers want to add more to the question. And it’s not polite.