TYRRELL COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA — U.S. Highway 64 has reopened near the Alligator River Bridge after a truck dropped a massive concrete beam into a canal, shutting down the roadway for hours and triggering major detours, officials said.

The highway reopened just after midnight early Friday morning. The closure began Thursday, Feb. 12, when a very large concrete beam fell off the back of a truck and into a canal, blocking both directions of U.S. 64 just west of the Alligator River Bridge near the Alligator River Marina. The incident occurred near Old Ferry Landing Road east of Columbia.

Authorities initially expected the road to remain closed until late Thursday night or possibly early Friday morning while crews waited for a crane to arrive from Portsmouth, Virginia, to remove the beam. Crews worked for several hours to clear the scene before the highway could reopen.

DriveNC reported the closure had a high impact on traffic. During the shutdown, detours were set up in Columbia for eastbound traffic and at the U.S. 64/264 junction in Dare County for westbound drivers. Motorists were urged to allow extra travel time and avoid the area if possible.

Officials have not released additional information on what caused the beam to fall or whether anyone was injured.

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