Charlotte drivers may face traffic as they hit Interstate 485 in South Charlotte as a Monday (April 18) morning crash is still impacting traffic. No injuries have been reported.
According to a photo shared by the North Carolina Department of Transportation on its Charlotte Area Twitter, a tractor trailer ran off the roadway on the Interstate 485 outer loop near the overpass with Westinghouse Boulevard, partially blocking lanes of traffic, WCNC reports. As of Monday afternoon, the outer loop remained partially closed between Interstate 77 and South Boulevard; however, the inner loop remained open to traffic.
While it is unclear what caused the crash, the news outlet reports that rainy conditions overnight into Monday morning could have saturated the roadways. The muddy roadside where the tractor trailer sits adds credence to this theory.
Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area and seek an alternate travel route as traffic was backed up for miles. In an update around 2:20 p.m., NCDOT Charlotte said that the right lane remained closed, leading to traffic backing up almost two miles.
For an alternate route, WCNC reports that drivers can use I-77 and Rock Hill-Pineville Road before gaining re-access to the outer loop of I-482 or South Boulevard in Pineville.
It is unclear when the outer loop will fully reopen.