Travelers may not see all Interstate 75 lanes open until later this weekend after a crash that left seven dead Thursday damaged the highway.
On Friday morning, the Florida Department of Transportation opened two of the three southbound lanes, which resulted in traffic moving below the speed limit at a pace of 20 to 25 miles per hour, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Patrick Riordan.
All northbound lanes heading toward Gainesville and Ocala are open and moving below the 70 mph speed limit, Riordan said. While the damage from the crash Thursday afternoon only affected an area of several hundred feet, the lane closures span 10 miles near Gainesville.
[Related: FHP releases names of the 5 children, 2 men who died in Florida I-75 crash]
Slow traffic after even a minor fender-bender is common on I-75 due to easy backup and the priority of drivers’ safety, Riordan said.
“In this case, where they have to make sure that the lanes are safe, we’re going to have to sacrifice some convenience,” he said.
Crews will close an additional southbound lane tonight while they are working on the emergency repairs, leaving one open for motorists, said Troy Roberts, the FDOT spokesperson for Northeast Florida.
The crash — which killed five children heading toward Disney World and two semi-truck drivers — damaged the road’s asphalt, and crews will be working throughout the night, weather permitting, repairing the road by milling the asphalt, Roberts said.
“We don’t want any additional crashes out there,” Roberts said. “So we’re pleading with motorists to drive as safely as possible while we get these repairs done.”
The cost of the repairs is not yet known, he said.
“I know our guys are going to be out there working and doing everything they can to get it open as soon as possible,” he said. “Our hope is this weekend.”
Contact Kelly Hayes at khayes@alligator.org. Follow her on Twitter @kellyrhayes.
