Updated 10:36 a.m.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reopened the northbound lanes of Interstate 35 at 9:40 a.m. Thursday after a fatality accident shut down the highway for more than five hours.
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Interstate 35 northbound right at the border between Moore and Norman was shut down early Thursday morning due to a fatality accident involving a tractor-trailer rig.
The Oklahoma Highway Patrol shut down the northbound lanes shortly before 4:30 a.m., and hours later traffic was still bumper-to-bumper all the way back to the Robinson Street exit - roughly five miles south of the accident site.
The southbound lanes were also backed up through Moore to Shields Blvd. in south Oklahoma City due to onlooker delays. It's also freshman move-in day at the University of Oklahoma, meaning there's a higher volume of traffic than usual heading south on I-35 toward the Lindsey Street exit.
OHP troopers told KOKH Fox 25's Danielle Dunn the driver of the car was killed after being hit from the rear by a semi. The car had stopped in the lane due to a mechanical failure, and it's not clear if the emergency hazard lights were on. The driver of the semi was not injured, although the truck and trailer carrying a load for a home improvement store sustained significant damage.
Environmental crews still cleaning after early morning semi accident. @OKCFOX #BREAKING #liveonokcfox pic.twitter.com/GmFBv8ThBq
— Danielle Dunn (@DanielleDunnOKC) August 20, 2015
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says traffic is being diverted off the highway at Indian Hills Road in Norman, and back on at SW 4th Street in Moore. It's not clear how long the closure will last.
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