Traffic congestion quickly overwhelmed Kingston on Tuesday afternoon after a tractor-trailer fire shut down the eastbound interstate.

As the interstate closed, drivers diverted onto local roads. However, ongoing Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) construction on Highway 70 and near the Clinch River bridge significantly worsened the situation. The project had already run behind schedule due to a delayed concrete delivery, with crews still working past 3 p.m.—just as afternoon traffic demand began to peak.

At the same time, emergency crews responded to a major tractor-trailer fire near the Kingston exit ramp at mile marker 351.5 eastbound. Kingston Fire Department, assisted by Harriman Fire, worked to extinguish the blaze, which forced the interstate to remain closed for more than an hour.

Traffic backed up rapidly, at one point stretching approximately nine miles eastbound from near mile marker 343 to mile marker 352.

County Commissioner Ben Wilson, who has long advocated for interstate upgrades to improve traffic flow, expressed frustration with the incident. He noted that local officials will continue working with TDOT to push for improvements, although such upgrades would not have prevented Tuesday’s immediate crisis.

The event highlighted a key vulnerability for Kingston: the city has limited capacity to absorb large volumes of diverted interstate traffic. The problem was especially evident during school dismissal, as two local schools are located along Highway 70. Many students, parents, and commuters experienced significant delays.

The interstate was finally cleared and reopened around 6 p.m. Tuesday evening. According to Kingston Fire, the driver reported that one of the truck’s fuel tanks caught fire and quickly spread to the rest of the rig and trailer, which was loaded with steel products. Fortunately, the driver was not injured, and no other vehicles were involved.