The northbound lanes of I-85 reopened just before 1 p.m. following a late-morning truck wreck that sent an overhead sign crashing down onto the interstate.
The incident happened just before 10 a.m. at the point where Ga. 316 splits from I-85 northbound in Gwinnett County.
Gwinnett police Cpl. Jake Smith said the driver of a tractor-trailer pulled in the "gore" area at the split because of a problem with the truck's front-left tire.
"The driver was not able to stop in time and crashed through the guard rail," Smith said.
He said the truck then hit the support pole for the steel beams holding the overhead sign, causing the beams, which spanned all northbound lanes, and sign to fall.
A tractor-trailer apparently struck the support for the overhead highway sign, knocking it to the ground.
The truck spilled 50 to 70 gallons of diesel fuel onto the roadway, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Transportation said, and a hazmat crew was on the scene.
The truck's driver was hospitalized with serious injuries, Smith said. No other vehicles were involved.
Northbound traffic routed onto Ga. 316 while crews removed the mangled sign from the highway.
Southbound lanes were not affected.
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