October 18, 2007
California
California
A big-rig’s load – a 128,000-pound section of a pylon for a wind turbine – shifted as the rig was headed south on Route 113 south of Dixon early Wednesday, triggering a 10-hour traffic nightmare.
No injuries were reported.
According to the California Highway Patrol, a section of the support pylon for a wind turbine destined for Montezuma Hills was being transported southbound on Highway 113 about two miles south of Hastings Road around 4 a.m. when a stabilizing bar on the 168-foot-long trailer carrying the pylon broke and allowed the cargo to shift.
The shift caused the truck, which had traveled to Solano County from Long Beach, to veer to the right, officials said, and the open front end of the pylon, made in Vietnam, scraped up a substantial amount of dirt as it came in contact with the ground.
With the entire load having come to rest, traffic stopped and was reduced for several hours to one lane.
Commuter traffic on Interstate 80 and Highway 12 also was impacted.
Meanwhile, traffic was diverted around the area as officials waited for cranes to arrive to take care of the shifted load.
Bragg Transportation, based in Long Beach and with operations in Sacramento, later sent a pair of large cranes and replacement equipment to the scene.
When the cranes arrived, the roadway was fully closed for about six hours while crane operators did their work. The pylon section was lifted onto a trailer and moved to the job site.
No charges or citations are pending in regard to the incident, officials said.
By Kimberly K. Fu
18 October 2007
URL to article: https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2007/10/18/pylon-snarls-highway-113-traffic/