Truck Fire Shuts Down I-40 West for Several Hours – Possibly Damaging Overpass

A tractor trailer loaded with grapes almost made it to the crest of Rockwood Mountain Wednesday afternoon but had to pull over when the motor overheated. The tractor trailer eventually caught fire underneath the I-40 westbound 340 exit Airport Road overpass. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol who investigated the tractor trailer fire, the incident happened around 4:30 pm Eastern Time and shut down the interstate for over 8 hours. Traffic eventually was able to take the 340 Exit-off-ramp crossover Airport Road and go right back on to the interstate westbound. TDOT Spokesman Mark Nagi told us via text this morning that the fire caused some damage to the bridge has caused TDOT to keep the bridge closed for now until it is inspected thoroughly. The driver of the semi (not from the State of Tennessee) was not injured and told sources at the scene he was attempting to un-hook the truck from the trailer but was unable to due to the excessive heat he was encountering. The truck was a total loss.