Highway Overpass In Cincinnati Collapses; 1 Dead

Updated at 11:30 a.m. ET.

A construction worker was killed and the driver of a semi-tractor trailer was injured when a section of overpass collapsed on southbound Interstate 75, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

The newspaper reports that the Cincinnati office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration "has opened an investigation into the death of the construction worker." It also quotes dispatchers as calling the incident a "major" collapse, and cites officials who say the area of roadway likely will be closed for several days.

The Associated Press reports that "work was going on Monday night to remove an overhead exit ramp that had recently been replaced by a new one when it pancaked down at about 10:30 p.m. on top of southbound lanes some five miles north of the Ohio River."

Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black tells NPR member station WVXU that they don't know why that section of road fell.

"It's a workplace incident. You've got a lot of heavy equipment in a very, very heavy construction site," Black said. "Who knows what happened? But we will find out."

He says the city will conduct an investigation and will work with the state department of transportation.

Here's more from the Enquirer:

"A piece of construction equipment was moving concrete when the bridge gave way, said Cincinnati Police Captain Doug Wiesman. The equipment tipped as it slid and the worker was pinned underneath it.

"Emergency crews extricated the man's body sometime around 3 a.m. Tuesday. They had to use airbags to lift the wreckage off of him, according to Cincinnati police and fire. ...

"A second person — a semi-tractor trailer driver — was taken to the University of Cincinnati Medical Center with minor injuries."