Portage, Porter County-- At approximately 6:00 a.m. on August 10, a tractor trailer was eastbound on I-90 (Indiana Toll Road) and entered the Portage Toll Barrier located in Portage, Indiana. The semi caught on fire for unknown reasons which then caught the toll booth on fire. All lanes of the Indiana Toll road were initially closed however the west bound lanes are now back open. The east bound lanes have been closed until a structural analysis of the facility could be determined as to its safety. Toll Road engineers have since determined that they will be able to open up 3 lanes eastbound and this should be occurring at approximately 9:45 a.m. C.S.T. Traffic is currently being diverted at exit 23 and also at exit 31 due to the backup. Traffic will continue to be backed up for an extended period of time. The Indiana State Police asks for the public to use caution and to also be patient while traveling in this area or to seek alternative routes.
The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. There were no injuries as a result of the fire. Damage to the structure and vehicle is estimated at $1 million dollars. The semi was loaded with potatoes and apples. The driver of the semi was Andrzej Drozd, 67 from New Jersey. The owner of the semi is ATC Transport located in Bridgewater, New Jersey.
