Damaged bridge near Willcox closes westbound I-10
Detour will start at Roadforks, NM & route drivers through Douglas and Tombstone
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ADOTThe buckled bridge and support column at a bridge near Willcox damaged by a crash early Wednesday morning. -
ADOTA map of the detour drivers must take after the westbound section of I-10 was closed by a crash involving a semi-tractor trailer. -
DPSThe driver of a semi-tractor trailer was killed early Wednesday morning after he drove off the road, hit a guardrail and crashed into a support column of a bridge over I-10.
Drivers heading west on I-10 will take a significant detour after a bridge east of Willcox was damaged by a fiery crash involving a semi-tractor trailer on Tuesday night.
Around midnight, a semi-tractor trailer ran off the right side of the road, struck a guardrail and ran into an overpass support pillar at milepost 331, said Arizona Department of Public Safety officials. The driver was killed and the truck and trailer were fully engulfed in flames, DPS said.
The crash buckled a pillar holding up the overpass for State Route 191 and Arizona Department of Transportation officials said the westbound section of I-10 will remain closed for the next 48 hours while a contractor brings in personnel, equipment and material needed to shore up the damaged bridge.
ADOT said the work is expected to begin Wednesday afternoon and "will continue around the clock" until the agency can safely reopen the westbound freeway.
Eastbound I-10 remains open through the area, ADOT said.
The reasons for the crash are unknown, officials said, adding the identification of the driver and the trucking company are pending, said DPS.
Drivers heading west on I-10 from the New Mexico state line will take a 68-mile detour to get around the stricken bridge, beginning at State Route 80 near Roadforks, N.M. — also known for the Phantom Fireworks shop.
From Roadforks, drivers will head south through Rodeo, N.M., toward State Route 80 and west through Douglas, Ariz., to US 191. From Douglas, drivers will need to head north on US 191 toward McNeal before connecting to Davis Road and heading west to SR 80 south and through Tombstone before connecting to SR 82 and heading west again to SR 90 in Whetstone. From Wetstone, drivers will head north on SR 90 before connecting back to I-10 in Benson.
Real-time traffic conditions are available on ADOT’s Arizona Traveler Information site at az511.gov, the AZ511 app, calling 511 and through ADOT’s Twitter feed, @ArizonaDOT.
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