LOUDON COUNTY, Tenn. (WATE) - Both directions of Interstate 75 were shut down for a little over an hour Friday night as law enforcement officials took precautions for an unmanned barge floating toward the Tennessee River bridge.

A local tugboat saved the night. 

Loudon County Sheriff Tim Guider says a tugboat caught the runaway barge around 9:30 p.m.

Sheriff Guider also said their initial information was that 200,000 pounds of unknown material was on board the barge. 

The Loudon County Sheriff's Office says the barge was intercepted by the tugboat some 600-800 yards from the Tennessee River bridge. 

After lanes were reopened, traffic in both directions is at a slow crawl, according to people caught in the precautionary highway jam. 

Some drivers were not patient with the slow progress as the interstate was reopened. One tried to go across the rain-drenched grassy median from the southbound lanes to northbound, and got stuck. 

Another driver tried to follow and also got stuck. 

Both vehicles had to be towed out, according to WATE 6 On Your Side's on-scene crew. 

According to the Loudon County Sheriff's Office, deputies and Tennessee Highway Patrol were on the scene and diverting traffic at Sugarlimb and Loudon exits. 

Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) spokesman Mark Nagi tweeted out about the "runaway barge" just after 9 p.m.

Onlooker: "It was kind of cool" to watch the tugboat stop the barge

LENOIR CITY, Tenn. (WVLT) - A tugboat narrowly stopped a runaway barge from hitting the Interstate 75 bridge over the Tennessee River in Loudon County Friday night.

Brian Kelch, a Loudon county resident, watched the entire incident from his dock.

Kelch said he lived on Misty View Drive since 1993, but he's never seen anything like this happen. "This isn't something you see everyday. We've never seen that--a barge floating down river by itself."

According to Corporal Matt Fagiana, Public Information Officer for the Loudon County Sheriff's Office, the unmanned, heavily loaded barge broke loose from the Fort Loudon Terminal on Friday night, threatening the bridge and prompting Loudon County Sheriff's Office deputies and Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers to close the interstate in both directions. It was reopened around 10:00 Friday night.

"It was a little scary, you were wondering if it was going to do any damage--mess up the dock or hit the bridge."

Investigators expressed concern that the rogue barge could potentially make impact with the Tennessee River bridge, which is why the interstate was shut down in both directions.

Officials told WVLT News that the heavily loaded barge was carrying 200,000 pounds of an unknown material.

Kelch shared video of the barge drifting. He noted the river was moving quickly, taking the barge on a fast track towards the bridge.

Poor weather conditions created low visibility for officials trying to locate the runaway barge, but around 9:24 p.m. Loudon County officials spotted it upriver and about 1.5 miles from the bridge, floating towards it sideways.

Around 9:40 p.m. officials said a tugboat had made contact with the barge and successfully slowed it's momentum, finally stopping it just about 600 yards away from the Tennessee River bridge and I-75.

"When the tugboat got here, it was kind of cool to watch how they stopped it and everything."

WVLT News viewer Robert Aft shared video of the tugboat intercepting and stopping the barge. Officials called it a narrow miss and credited dispatchers working quickly to secure help from Kimberly Clark Corporation which sent the tugboat to stop the barge.

"Really thankful it didn't do any damage," Kelch said.