DELAND, Fla. — A dump truck caught fire Wednesday morning on I-4 in Volusia County, shutting down the westbound lanes, authorities said.
The truck crashed into a barrier wall at about 6:45 a.m. a couple of miles before State Road 44 in DeLand, officials said.
RAW VIDEO: Dump truck catches fire on I-4 in DeLand
TRAFFIC SECTION: Check for alternate route
Officials said the project is part of a $134 million project that is over budget and behind. It was supposed to be finished in February, but the project likely won't be finished until October.
“In that area there are challenges when you are running a construction project and then you have all that traffic needing to go between DeLand and Daytona every day,” said Florida Department of Transportation spokesperson Steve Olson.
Workers said they’re dealing with a hazmat situation because fuel spilled onto the roadway, along with other debris from the truck. FDOT officials said crews will likely need to repair brand-new concrete to replace what was damaged by the crash.
“If it happened in an area where we have our final layer of concrete, and it's scratched up or damaged in some way, then the responsible party, we feel, should be on the hook for that,” Olson said.
FDOT has not said if the contractor will face fines for being behind on the project.
Florida Department of Transportation officials said drivers should use U.S. 92 or State Road 44 as an alternate route.
Olson told Channel 9 in an email at 2:30 p.m. that the truck was moved onto a trailer, and several large pieces of equipment were required to move it because the truck had lost its front wheels. He said repairs to the roadway would be made at a later date.