Update: I-65 remains closed in both directions near Warrior because of tanker truck fire
If you’re in north Jefferson County on Friday afternoon and want to go somewhere else, you can go east or west, but not north or south.
A tanker truck remains on fire near mile marker 279 on Interstate 65 in Warrior, just south of the scene of another fatal crash Friday morning that killed a Hayden man. As of 5:30 p.m., state troopers still have the road closed completely in both directions. Traffic is being detoured onto U.S. 31.
Warrior Police dispatch, which also handles Kimberly and Morris calls, said that multiple hazmat units are on the scene.
In Morris, a wreck involving a tractor-trailer on Morris Majestic Road virtually shut down that road. No official word yet on injuries in that wreck, and as of 5:30, Warrior dispatch did nor have word on the status of that crash.
And farther south, congestion continues on I-65 southbound in the I-22 construction zone, where problems with the old roadway surface caused ALDOT to close all but the far left lane. Backups have extended as for north as Fieldstown Road in Gardendale.
All of these have caused heavier-than-normal traffic on U.S. 31 through Kimberly, Morris, Gardendale and Fultondale.
All motorists are advised to avoid travel through the area for the next couple of hours at least.
Updated at 5:35 p.m. Friday