Eight days after a fiery crash that claimed the life of a tanker driver, Route 8 southbound has reopened to two lanes of traffic between Highland and Hines Hill roads.

Last week, crews began to make repairs to the Route 8 bridge over Brandywine Creek, after a tanker carry 7,500 gallons of diesel fuel crashed and exploded causing damage to the bridge deck.

The Route 8 and I-271 interchange closed the morning of Feb. 3 when a tanker truck burst into flames after crashing on the northbound lanes of Route 8. The driver, Jason Thomas Stevens of Ashtabula, 31, died.

According to information from the Ohio Department of Transportation, repairs included milling off and replacing the top layer of the concrete on the surface of the roadway.

“All routes have reopened just eight days after the tragic crash,” said Ohio Department of Transportation District 4 Deputy Director Gery Noirot. “During this time, the coordination between ODOT and local entities has been tremendous. We want to thank everyone involved for their role in getting these routes back open.”

Some work in the area remains. The ramp from SR 8 northbound to I-271 northbound and from I-271 southbound to SR 8 southbound will continue to be reduced to one lane over the next several weeks while cleanup and final bridge inspections occur, according to information from ODOT.

Reporter April Helms can be reached at ahelms@thebeaconjournal.com

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Two lanes open between Highland, Hines Hill on Route 8