ALACHUA COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – UPDATE, FRIDAY 6:30 a.m.: Travel on I-75 southbound through Alachua County is flowing once again.

The wreck on Thursday involving a semi-truck hitched to two trailers has been cleared. A check of the state’s traffic camera network shows traffic is flowing smoothly. The roadway was bumper-to-bumper traffic for the better part of 24 hours.

 

Alachua County and Gainesville Fire Rescue crews assisted the EPA with cleaning up chemicals that spilled after a wreck on I-75 SB. Courtesy: ACFR

UPDATE, THURSDAY 6:15 p.m.: Progress is being made on clearing a wreck on I-75 southbound. Two lanes are now open. The right lane is still blocked and traffic is still backed up for miles.

A view of the accident scene on I-75 southbound as of 6:11 p.m. on Thursday. Courtesy: FL511
A check of the state’s traffic camera network on Friday at 6:30 a.m. shows the crash scene is clear. Courtesy: FL511

ORIGINAL, THURSDAY 1:40 p.m.: The Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) says traffic is snarled on Interstate 75 (I-75) in Alachua County and being detoured.

As of 1:35 p.m. all but one southbound lane of I-75 are closed near mile marker (mm) 390. That’s just north of the exit for Northwest 39th Avenue in Gainesville.

The Florida Highway Patrol says the accident happened around 1:30 a.m. on Thursday in the southbound lanes of I-75 near mile marker 390. Crews are working to cleanup damaged containers filled with chemicals. Courtesy: FL511

Troopers say the backup is due to a wreck involving an 18-wheeler with two trailers. FHP says the big rig was heading south around 1:30 a.m. Thursday when the two trailers travelled off the road, onto the shoulder and the truck then hit several trees.

The semi-truck was hauling two trailers. Troopers say one had containers filled with chemicals. Courtesy: FHP

Troopers say the crash damaged chemical containers in one of the trailers and it will take some time for crews to clean up the mess.

A look at the state’s real-time traffic cameras on Florida511 shows the emergency crews on scene and heavy traffic stacked up.

As 12:30 p.m., Florida’s interstate cameras showed traffic on I-75 southbound was backed up for at least two miles while crews clean up chemicals from an accident. Courtesy: FL511

Troopers are directing traffic off the interstate at mm 399. That’s the exit for U.S. Highway 441 in High Springs. Traffic is heavy through that area as well.

Troopers are detouring southbound traffic at exit 399 onto U.S. Highway 441 at High Springs. Courtesy: FL511

Law enforcement ask you to avoid these areas for the next several hours. You can check the status of the road anytime you want via Florida 511, the state’s real-time traffic website.

The 46-year-old driver of the truck is from Summerville, South Carolina, and was transported for minor injuries.

This is a developing story. We will continue to update this story as warranted. To stay on top of breaking news in the 352, download our news app and enable alerts.