Bridge over I-85 near Hillsborough to remain closed after fiery crash

A section of North Carolina Highway 86 in Orange County will be closed for at least two days to make sure the road is safe for drivers following a deadly crash.

Posted 9:09 a.m. Sep 15, 2022 — Updated 1:11 p.m. Sep 15, 2022

Nia Harden

, WRAL reporter

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — A section of North Carolina Highway 86 in Orange County will be closed for at least two days to make sure the road is safe for drivers following a deadly crash.

The State Highway Patrol said a driver in a tractor-trailer was on traveling southbound on Interstate 85 near Exit 165 in Hillsborough on Wednesday when the truck went off the roadway and struck a beam on the bridge for the N.C. 86 overpass.

The driver did not survive the fiery crash, and the southbound direction I-85 was closed for hours.

Officials said the N.C. 86 bridge will be closed for at least two days so state Department of Transportation crews could assess structural damage to the overpass and ensure the structural integrity of the bridge.

In the overnight hours, a viewer sent WRAL News a photo of the truck engulfed in flames and smoke.

It was the second fiery tractor trailer crash in 12 hours. Tuesday afternoon, a truck caught fire on Interstate 95 in Dunn. The fire and explosion prompted officials to close the road and the bridge above it, remained closed until Wednesday.