The westbound lane of Interstate 465 reopened Friday afternoon on Indianapolis’ northeast side following a tanker explosion Thursday that closed parts of the expressway in both directions.
The Binford Boulevard northbound ramp to I-465 westbound also reopened, after bridge inspectors determined the westbound bridge structurally safe to support traffic.
Testing continues on the eastbound 1-465 bridge, which is located directly above where the crash occurred. Test samples of the bridge structure were being sent via helicopter Friday afternoon to a testing facility, the Indiana Department of Transportation said.
At the very least, a damaged pillar will need to be replaced with either temporary or permanent supports, INDOT said.
I-465 eastbound remains closed between the U.S. 31/Meridian Street and the 56th Street/Shadeland Avenue interchanges.
Because Allisonville Road and Keystone Avenue are not equipped to handle high volumes of commercial traffic, eastbound I-465 traffic is being rerouted to U.S. 31.
Ramps that remain closed are: I-69 southbound ramp to I-465 southbound; I-465 eastbound ramp to I-69 northbound; I-465 eastbound ramp to Binford Boulevard southbound; and I-865 to I-465 on the northwest side.
The closings were caused by a liquid propane tanker that exploded on a highway ramp at I-69 and I-465, shooting a fireball of flames and black smoke into the sky.
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