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Jackknifed Tanker Truck Smacks Into Median On Southfield Freeway

DETROIT (WWJ) - Several lanes of the Southfield Freeway were shut down for about two hours Tuesday morning after an empty tanker truck smashed into a median wall.

The accident happened on southbound M-39 at Warren Avenue, on Detroit's west side.

"An empty tanker jackknifed near Warren Avenue and because of that, unfortunately the crash into the center wall broke against that wall, pushing pieces of concrete into the northbound lanes," MDOT spokesperson Diane Cross told WWJ's Zahra Huber.

southfield crash
(MDOT Traffic Camera)

No one was hurt.

Cross said officials had to wait for tow crews to help remove the tanker, and for another crew to come pick up the concrete pieces.

At 11 a.m., all lanes on the southbound side had reopened. The left lane of northbound M-39 remained closed for repairs to the retaining wall.

The scope of damage was not immediately clear.

"The whole point of the median wall is to protect traffic from going into the opposite lane, and so we always want to make sure that's taken care of," said Cross. "When the long-term repair will be done, I don't quite know yet."

For the latest from the roads, stay with WWJ Newsradio 950 during Traffic and Weather on the 8s, 24-hours a day. Check for recent incidents now on the CBS Detroit Traffic Page.

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