WILLIAMSON

I-65 near tanker crash site reopened; driver who died is identified

G. Chambers Williams III
cwilliams1@tennessean.com

The driver killed in the crash of a gasoline tanker truck on Interstate 65 at Peytonsville Road early Friday was Bobby Bobo, 67, of Columbia, the Franklin Police Department said Sunday.

An explosion and fire resulting from the accident led to the shutdown of I-65 at Peytonsville Road all day Saturday and until early Sunday afternoon as state work crews and contractors removed the damaged Peytonsville Road/Goose Creek bridge over the interstate and repaired a stretch of burned pavement.

There is now no bridge open to traffic over I-65 at Peytonsville Road, and a new bridge won't be in place for at least 75 days, the state Transportation Department said.

The Franklin Police Department has updated detour information at franklintn.gov/government/engineering/goose-creek-detour-info.

Officials  look over the remains of the tanker truck that burned and caught the Peytonsville bridge overpass on fire Friday, Aug. 15, 2014, in Williamson County, Tenn.

The southbound lanes of I-65 had been shut down since the accident, while the northbound lanes were closed at 6 a.m. Saturday to allow the work crews to remove the damaged bridge that carries Peytonsville Road over I-65.

Originally, the state had said the interstate would be closed until Monday afternoon, but workers were able to remove the old bridge faster than they expected, said TDOT spokeswoman Heather Jensen

The brand-new bridge over I-65 at Peytonsville Road was irreparably damaged by the tanker crash and will have to be removed at a later date, according to TDOT.

The new bridge could take up to three months to build, but TDOT Commissioner John Schroer said that it's possible it could be finished in 75 days.

That's because the steel beams for that bridge had already been fabricated and will be available right away, Schroer said

In the meantime, Peytonsville Road will remain closed where it crosses over I-65, but traffic will still be able to get on or off the interstate there.

Although Jensen said no damage estimate has been made yet, the cost of the repairs and the replacement bridge will be in the millions of dollars, the state said, and the owner of the tanker, Edwards Oil Co., will be held responsible for the cost, Jensen said.

The total cost of the project to widen Peytonsville Road at I-65 is $48 million, which includes the two new bridges, she said.

Reach G. Chambers Williams III at 615-259-8076 and on Twitter @gchambers3.