Truck flips, broken glass closes eastbound I-40 in Johnston County

The eastbound lanes of Interstate 40 at NC Highway 42 were closed through the morning Friday, after a tractor-trailer carrying nearly 35,000 empty liquor bottles crashed Friday morning, spilling broken glass onto the interstate.

The accident, which occurred west of Clayton between NC 42, which is exit 312, and NC 210, prompted authorities to close all eastbound lanes of the interstate while authorities worked to clear debris and investigate the incident.

Traffic was backed up all the way into Wake County.

It was not immediately clear if the driver was injured during the wreck, but the North Carolina State Highway Patrol said the driver was cited for failure to maintain lane control.

During the morning rush hour, as drivers were forced off the freeway to find an alternate route. Traffic on surrounding surface streets also backed up as drivers exited the freeway. Westbound traffic was also rerouted during part of the morning as troopers investigated the incident.

The driver was traveling to Florida from Kernersville, N.C., when the accident occurred, authorities said.

Authorities said drivers should exit the interstate at NC 42 and take a right to continue to NC 50, which will allow drivers to access NC 210 and pick up I-40 again.