The outside southbound lane of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge that was closed Tuesday because of a tanker fire has reopened.
- All Sunshine Skyway Bridge lanes now open
- Tanker's tire blew out Tuesday morning; diesel fuel caught fire
- Drivers were stuck on bridge for hours Tuesday
The lane was reopened Wednesday just before 5:30 a.m., in time for the heavy morning traffic load. Repairs were made overnight to the southbound lanes.
The lane had remained closed overnight after the tanker crash and diesel-fuel fire shut down traffic on the bridge in both directions for hours Tuesday.
According to the Florida Highway Patrol, a tractor trailer fuel tanker's tire blew out on the southbound side of the bridge at about 10:40 a.m., causing the driver to crash and 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel to catch on fire.
The 2007 Mack Truck's fuel burned on the Dick Misener approach to the main part of the bridge. A large plume of dark smoke billowed into the sky near the bridge.
The driver, Ulises Hernandez-Fernandez, 48, of Tampa was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.
The crash closed down both lanes for hours. The northbound lanes reopened a couple of hours after the crash.
But drivers going south toward Manatee County had to take the long way home.