The South Carolina Department of Transportation will utilize federal funding to expedite the rebuilding of a bridge destroyed in a tanker truck fire earlier this month. 

The accident happened on June 14th beneath the Old Vaucluse Road overpass on Interstate 20 in Aiken, South Carolina. 

According to WRDW, the bridge was destroyed when a car crashed into a tanker truck hauling gasoline, causing the truck to burst into flames. The bridge soon collapsed due to the heat. 

I-20 was reopened within two days of the collapse after crews worked to remove the bridge debris and patch the roadway. Now, SCDOT has been authorized to receive federal funds for the project, which will expedite the repair. 

“We’re going to move expeditiously,” said agency Director Justion Powell. “I signed off on the paperwork to begin basically an expedited procurement to rebuild the old Vaucluse Road bridge.”

The bridge is expected to reopen within a year. Powell says he expects the project to move quickly.