I-75 Shut Down Due To Cincinnati Bridge Collapse Now Reopen


Cincinnati’s I-75 shut down was due to a deadly overpass collapse on Monday that killed a construction worker and injured a tractor-trailer driver. It has since been reopened less than 24 hours after the catastrophic event, WCPO Cincinnati reports.

The Ohio Department of Transportation announced the reopening of I-75 on a Facebook post.

“The debris was removed, and after some minor repairs were made, the road was reopen to traffic.”

Engineers and forensic investigators had to investigate the area before reopening the road to ensure safety.

According to Cincinnati.com, the I-75 bridge collapse was a result of construction failure and had nothing to do with the bridge itself.

A senior engineer from Austin, Texas, Lindon Howell, who regularly inspects bridges in Texas, gave her suggestion.

“They should’ve been demolishing the middle first, and then they would’ve been OK,”

Although Cincinnati’s I-75 bridge received satisfactory ratings during a previous inspection, it still managed to somehow collapse during a scheduled demolition.

Cincinnati’s I-75 bridge collapse took the life of a 35-year-old construction worker, Brandon Carl of Augusta, Kentucky, and injured a tractor-trailer driver of Howell, Michigan, who only suffered minor injuries.

The name of the tractor-trailer driver has not been released to the public.

Carl, who was the father of four children, was working on the overpass with friend Billy Hargett when it suddenly collapsed around 10:30 p.m. Monday. Hargett had walked away from the bridge when he turned around suddenly to a loud boom. He witnessed the I-75 bridge collapsing, taking his friend along.

Hargett tried to save his friend, but he was unsuccessful.

“He got tore up so bad, he won’t be open to see,” Charles stated, referring to a possible wake and funeral service.

“All that mess fell on him. That’s an awful way to die.”

Brandon Carl with Fiancee Kendra Blair
Brandon Carl with Fiancee Kendra Blair

After receiving a late night call about the death of her husband’s friend, Crystal, spoke with reporters.

“Billy said he just pulled his brother out. They were so close that (Billy) called him his brother. They drove to work together every day. You’re looking at three children under the age of 9 at home in Kentucky that are going to wake up looking for their daddy. And his fiancé, they were high school sweethearts. It’s heartbreaking.”

Cincinnati Chief of Police Jeffery Blackwell stated that they were going to undergo a death investigation in lieu of a traffic investigation. He claims the following.

“We handled this as a death investigation opposed to a traffic incident because of the unique circumstances and the complexity of the scene. It was a very tough thing to deal with last night. Very unsafe. So, we decided to make it a death investigation for the expertise that those detectives would bring to the investigation.”

Police official say that hundreds of tons of cement fell when the I-75 bridge collapsed, affecting thousands of commuters.

Once the body of Brandon Carl was removed, work crews worked diligently to clean the tons of cement that fell late Monday night.

The I-75 bridge shut down lasted less than 24 hours before the southbound lanes of I-75 were reopened Tuesday night at 10:15 p.m.

[Image via WCPO]

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