The Bankhead Tunnel in Mobile was shut down for nearly four hours Wednesday morning after an 18-wheeler was ripped completely in half upon entering the tunnel, which has a clearance height well below the truck’s profile.
The crash occurred at approximately 6:49 a.m. when the commercial vehicle struck the tunnel’s interior ceiling. The Bankhead Tunnel has a posted clearance of 12 feet, while the average height of an 18-wheeler is roughly 13 feet, six inches — more than a foot taller than the tunnel allows.
Mobile Fire-Rescue posted on Facebook that there was “no foreseeable timeframe for when the scene will be cleared and the tunnel re-opened” shortly after the incident. Both lanes of the tunnel were closed while road crews worked to remove the wreckage.
Tunnel Reopens After Four-Hour Closure
By 10:22 a.m., the Bankhead Tunnel had reopened to traffic in both directions. Road crews removed the “roads closed” signage and normal traffic flow resumed after the scene was fully cleared.
The incident follows a separate tunnel closure on June 20, when the Wallace Tunnel was shut down after a vehicle fire caused by a crash created significant traffic delays across Mobile’s tunnel system.