Two Lanes Now Open On I-77 South

UPDATE:

The left and center lanes on I-77 southbound at the John Belk Freeway have been reopened.

Crews are still working to get the right lane and the collector lanes clear. They remain closed.

CHARLOTTE, NC — An early morning accident that caused a semi-truck to spill around 50,000 pounds of potatoes has closed I-77 South.

Officials say around 2am Friday the driver of a tractor trailer carrying nearly 50,000lbs of potatoes fell asleep and hit the barrier wall. The driver was transported with non-life threatening injuries.

The accident is expected to have the southbound lanes of I-77 closed for several hours while crews work to clean the spill.

Drivers heading south are being detoured around downtown. Drivers can take exit 11 on to I-277, loop around the downtown area, then take exit 1-B to return to I-77 South.

You can also use I-85, South Boulevard, or South Tryon to get around the mess.

NCDOT says they hope to have everything reopened by noon.