A tractor-trailer hauling garbage to a landfill overturned on I-575 in Cherokee County on Thursday morning, spilling thousands of pounds of trash and shutting down the interstate for five hours.
The truck overturned on I-575 North at Hickory Flat Highway about 3:30 a.m., just three exits away from its destination, Channel 2 Action News reported.
The highway reopened about 8 a.m., but trash cleanup continued for several more hours. Crews first pushed the piles of trash from the 80,000-pound rig into the median, then worked to tow it away load by load, said Frank Ray with Mauldin Body Shop and Towing.
“We just took the equipment, raked it off to the side so we could get the road clear as quickly as possible,” Ray told Channel 2.
Authorities told Channel 2 that the driver took a curve too fast, causing the truck to flip.
The Traffic Center suggested drivers take Ga. 5 during the shutdown, which caused several hours of backups starting at Sixes Road.
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