I-95 N bridge completely reopens, steel beams show no damage from exposure to flames

One lane opened Wednesday afternoon around 3:30 p.m. after test results of the steel beams showed no damage. Wednesday night around 9 p.m., all lanes were open to traffic again.

The Interstate 95 northbound bridge in Dunn was closed over a full day after a large box truck caught fire under the bridge, exposing steel girders on the 67-year-old bridge to intense heat.

Inspectors from two units of the N.C. Department of Transportation that specialize in bridges and the testing of materials traveled to the scene to collect samples and assess the damage. Wednesday afternoon, the results showed it was safe to reopen one lane of the bridge.

Crews could be seen in bucket lifts making some repairs to the right side of the steel structure that holds up the bridge.

The NCDOT anticipates reopening the right lane by around 7 tonight. When the right lane is reopened, so will U.S. 421 North be reopened, too.

The reopening will save thousands of drivers a lot of time on the trip up I-95 tonight, ending a frustration that has been felt by drivers for more than a full day, especially people traveling northbound through North Carolina.

WRAL News tested how long it took to drive through the heavily backed-up traffic – which stretched on for several miles on Tuesday evening. The back-up ended right around the border of Cumberland and Harnett County, taking a little over an hour to roll along just three miles.

Around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, a box truck burst into flames and exploded under the bridge, sending black smoke billowing into the air and leaving travelers stuck in backups that stretched for miles in Cumberland and Harnett counties.

Traffic headed into Dunn was detoured off the exit ramp, crossing U.S. 421 and re-entering the highway.

Dray McDonald, who shared video with WRAL News, said the fire and smoke reminded him of the aftermath of an IED explosion.

“I’m a soldier, so I’ve been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and I, you know, ran over IEDs and have seen IEDs," he said. "Honestly that’s kind of what it reminded me of, just how big the blaze was. That's the first thing I thought of was 'Man, I’ve seen that before.'"