I-24 West at standstill after tractor trailer overturns, spills battery acid on ridge cut

Staff photo by Tim Barber/ In this 3:00 p.m. view, Interstate 24 traffic stands almost still after a tractor trailer overturned at the 181 exit, west of the Missionary Ridge cut at 7:15 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019.
Staff photo by Tim Barber/ In this 3:00 p.m. view, Interstate 24 traffic stands almost still after a tractor trailer overturned at the 181 exit, west of the Missionary Ridge cut at 7:15 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019.
photo Staff photo by Tim Barber/ A truck heading westbound on Interstate 24, lower right, behind sign, sits upright after overturning at exit 181 Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019.

UPDATE at 4:30 p.m.: Crews continue working to clear the scene where a tractor trailer flipped and spilled battery acid onto the interstate. TDOT has pushed back the estimated time the roadway is expected to be cleared until 6 p.m.

Traffic is delayed in both directions.

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UPDATE at 2:05 p.m.: The overturned tractor trailer on I-24 West leaked battery acid onto the roadway after batteries it was transporting were damaged in the wreck, according to Chattanooga Fire Department battalion chief David Thompson.

The acid has since been cleared off the roadway by an outside company, he added.

The driver was injured in the crash but the severity of those injuries are not known at this time.

Emergency personnel responded to the scene at 7:15 a.m. Sunday. They have since been working to take care of the driver, divert traffic, investigate the crash and clear the roadway as the air temperature has reached the upper-90s.

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Traffic on I-24 West is at a standstill due to a tractor trailer that overturned on the ridge cut Sunday morning.

The crash occurred near Exit 181A heading down Missionary Ridge toward downtown Chattanooga.

The lanes have been blocked, and traffic is being diverted around the incident onto the shoulder.

The incident was reported at 7:15 a.m. is expected to be cleared by 4 p.m., according to the Tennessee Department of Transportation. There's also a delay for eastbound travelers, according to TDOT.

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