Traffic alert: Eastbound lanes on Hartley Bridge Road closed until further notice

All eastbound lanes on Hartley Bridge Road are closed, along with the on-ramp from the eastbound lanes to Interstate 75, until further notice after an accident.

At 3:09 p.m. Friday, the bridge was struck and damaged by an excavator being hauled by a tractor-trailer that was getting onto I-75 north from Hartley Bridge Road, according to a Bibb County Sheriff’s Office news release.

A Nissan Altima traveling behind the tractor-trailer was struck by debris that fell from the bridge. The car’s driver, a 55-year-old Hampton woman, was taken to Coliseum Hospital, treated and released, according to an email from the sheriff’s office.

Anthony Johnson, 54, of Danville, the driver of the tractor-trailer, was not hurt. He was cited by the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division, the release said.

Only the eastbound lanes and on-ramp required closure because the weight of the bridge is independently supported by beams on each side, said Penny Brooks, a Georgia Department of Transportation spokeswoman.

The bridge is expected to be inspected Monday, Brooks said.

A detour is in place: eastbound traffic is being directed to I-75 south to use the Sardis Church Road as an alternate route to cross over I-75, the release said.

Anyone with information about the accident is urged to contact the Bibb Sheriff’s Office at 478-751-7500.

This story was originally published March 28, 2020 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Traffic alert: Eastbound lanes on Hartley Bridge Road closed until further notice."