By: Jacob Kessler
State Route 15 was shut down during the morning hours of Friday, December 6th. According to the Montpelier Fire Department, fire services were dispatched at around 2:40 a.m. to the 13.2-mile marker of the turnpike at Holiday City.
A semi-truck was located underneath the State Route 15 overpass. The truck was on fire and heated the underside of the overpass.
During efforts to put out the fire, the concrete of the overpass began spalling, with some pieces falling off.
This led to State Route 15 being closed completely to allow for an inspector to verify the roads integrity.
The scene was cleared between 6:15 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. but at the time the overpass was still closed.
The turnpike was in the process of being reopened at that time.
According to the Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission, the Ohio Turnpike’s engineering and consulting firm inspected the bridge during the afternoon hours that followed the incident.
Following the inspection, it was determined that traffic should be limited to the western most (southbound) lanes of State Route 15/U.S. 20A.
Temporary traffic control devices, including traffic signals provided and setup by ODOT, were deployed to allow northbound and southbound traffic to utilize the southbound lane of the bridge.
Following the cleanup and inspection, both lanes on the Ohio Turnpike westbound were reopened.
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission also stated that there is extensive damage to the bridge’s concrete pier, concrete deck, components of the steel superstructure, and the protective steel coating.
“The structure is stable. Further evaluation and repair recommendations will be made early next week.”
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com