Update: All lanes of the Sunshine Skyway bridge reopened around 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, according to Florida Highway Patrol reports.

This is a developing story. Our earlier coverage continues below.

The Sunshine Skyway bridge is structurally sound after a tanker-truck fire that snarled traffic Tuesday, transportation officials said. But drivers headed south to Manatee County should be prepared for a hairy commute this morning.

One of the southbound lanes remained closed overnight. And state transportation officials said they may have to close the other southbound lane at some point today for additional repairs.

"The big thing is just (to) plan for extra time," Florida Department of Transportation representative Kristen Carson said.

Authorities are advising motorists to avoid the bridge and find alternate southbound routes, such as Interstate 75, U.S. 301 or U.S. 41.

The tanker, which was carrying nearly 4,000 gallons of diesel fuel, caught fire about 10:40 a.m., after its right front tire blew out and it crashed into the outside barrier wall near the top of the bridge, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The driver, Ulises Hernandez-Fernandez, 48, of Tampa was able to escape safely. He was taken to Manatee Memorial Hospital with minor injuries.

It took firefighters more than an hour to knock down the flames. Crews had a difficult time battling the petroleum-based blaze because of water supply issues, St. Petersburg Fire and Rescue Lt. Steven Lawrence said.

The fire initially closed the bridge in both directions. Authorities reopened the northbound lanes about 1 p.m. and one of the southbound lanes about 6 p.m.

The southbound outside lane sustained most of the damage from the fire, Carson said. An expansion joint made of aluminum and rubber melted and will need to be replaced once a new one is built, she said.

In the meantime, the transportation department plans to cover the expansion joint with a metal plate that will allow cars to use the outside lane, she said.

She hopes the lane will open sometime today.

Carson said the structural integrity of the bridge had not been affected, despite concerns raised earlier in the day.

"The bridge is safe," she said. "It's just making sure we can put the metal plate down before we can get the expansion joint fully repaired."

Still, the fire caused a major headache for motorists.

Meagan Aguayo, 25, of Tampa drove onto the bridge Tuesday morning to head to St. Petersburg and a saw a "huge puff of black smoke."

She sat in traffic for more than two hours, she said.

Drivers trying to cross the bridge early Tuesday weren't the only ones stuck in traffic. Both the Gandy and Howard Frankland bridges were backed up during the evening rush hour as motorists sought an alternate route across the bay.

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Contact Jack Rooney at jrooney@tampabay.com. Follow @RooneyReports.

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