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NB I-465 on west side now open

All lanes of northbound I-465 and Rockville Road on Indianapolis' west side will be closed "until further notice" after a large truck crashed into an overpass Tuesday morning.
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INDIANAPOLIS -- All lanes of northbound I-465 between I-70 and 10th Street have reopened one day after a car crusher damaged the Rockville Road overpass Tuesday morning. 

The stretch of road was expected to be closed for several days.

INDOT crews worked overnight into Wednesday morning to remove four beams in the overpass.

One lane in each direction of the overpass reopened to traffic shortly before 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The next step would be getting a contractor to rebuild the bridgedeck, which means Rockville Road's current traffic configuration would remain the same until then.

Indiana State Police say a total of six vehicles were involved in the crash - one semi with a mobile car crusher on the trailer bed, a utility vehicle, and four passenger cars.

The semi, operated by Twins Trucking of Indianapolis, was headed north on I-465 approaching the Rockville Road overpass when the hydraulic arm of the mobile car crusher extended upward.  It struck the overpass support beams of the Rockville Road bridge.

CALL 6 | Trucking company involved in NB I-465 overpass crash had been fined, cited by feds

The image above shows what a mobile car crusher looks like  

The impact caused the trailer to separate from the tractor.  Troopers say hundreds of pieces of concrete, from baseball to basketball size, fell from the damaged support beams onto northbound traffic. Five vehicles were struck by the falling debris.  

State police say one piece of concrete fell through the windshield of a car being driven by Christine Haraburda, 28, of Indianapolis. She was taken to Eskenazi Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening upper body injuries.

PHOTOS | Car crusher hits, damages overpass on I-465 NB

INDOT will provide updates on the road, bridge and ramp closures as timelines can be more accurately projected.

Originally, INDOT spokesperson Nate Riggs had said the crash wouldn't cause a prolonged shutdown.

Bridge engineers completed their inspection of the overpass Tuesday afternoon. They say four of about 14 load-bearing girders are heavily damaged and will need to be removed.  After damaged portions are separated from the bridge, INDOT says crews will work to open limited access across the north side of the bridge as soon as it is safely possible.

Northbound I-465 will stay closed while the steel-reinforced concrete beams overhead are removed, and all of the debris is cleaned up.

INDOT says replacing the beams will require longer-term repairs similar to the construction of a new bridge deck. They began repairs on the bridge Tuesday evening. 

Drivers are being warned that traffic on I-465 northbound and Rockville Road will be significantly affected, especially during peak morning and evening periods.

Traffic on alternate routes is also expected to be congested, including I-465 on the east side and I-65 and I-70. INDOT is using its dynamic message signs to help route interstate traffic around the closure.

Other west side I-465 interchanges and routes into and out of Indianapolis are also expected to see increased traffic, including I-74, Crawfordsville Road, 10th Street, West Washington Street, Sam Jones Expressway, as well as north-south roads connecting to these corridors. INDOT is monitoring traffic flow on those routes and will make temporary improvements as appropriate, including traffic signal adjustments and additional signage.

The map below shows alternate routes you can take:

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