Randolph County, NC-- All lanes of I-85 North and South are open again after an early morning tractor-trailer crash.
All lanes of I-85 were closed between Exits 87 and 118 after a tractor-trailer carrying explosives overturned around 7 am near Archdale in Randolph County.
According to the NC DOT, southbound lanes reopened around 3:40pm. Archdale PD confirmed that northbound lanes reopened at 5:30pm.
Ammonium Nitrate Slurry and blasting caps which are used for dynamite were inside the truck, according to Emergency Management in Randolph County.
The materials were still intact in the truck, according to emergency responders.
Because of the explosive materials involved, NCDOT shut down all lanes of I-85 North and South near Archdale in Randolph County. Around 200 people in the nearby area were evacuated from their homes, as well as Trindale Elementary School.
Fire Department member Steve Barr said the emergency responders handled the situation well. "We didn't really have any headaches or anything that popped up. Everything that we've done, we've planned for. It's hard to say that you plan for every event. But, you plan for the worst case scenario and and we put the wheels in motion to make sure we had a good outcome," he said.
Barr said some residents were caught off guard when crews came to their door to talk about the voluntary evacuation. "Cooperation is crucial to what we do. Once we know an area has been evacuated, then we concentrate on the incident. If we have to concentrate on the incident and still worry about everyone else around it, it takes us away from the incident. It takes resources away from the incident," Barr said.
A cleanup crew out of Charlotte was been called to assist with getting the material off the truck.
WFMY News 2/NCDOT