September 24, 2014
Colorado

Crash shut down interstate for 10 hours

Sep 23, 2014 | www.kktv.com

It took nearly 10 hours, but a huge mess on I-25 was finally cleaned up. A Vestas transport trailer hauling a section of a wind turbine tower crashed into the median.

Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) said more than 50,000 people drive on that section of I-25 in Pueblo everyday

It was a moment thousands of drivers were waiting for. Just before 7:30 p.m. the piece of a wind turbine tower was removed from I-25.

The semi carrying the large load slammed into the median Tuesday morning a round 9:30 a.m. The crash shut down the interstate in both directions on the south side of Pueblo near the Central Avenue Exit.

“I had heard about (the crash) early this morning, that it had happened, that there was a bad accident and so I kind of expected it to be kind of cleared up. Or at least to be able to get through, and then to get here, I was surprised,” Sherri Padilla said.

Padilla got caught in the mess on her way home from work. It took nearly 10 hours to remove the 75 ton piece of equipment.

“It’s so out of the ordinary because it’s this huge heavy, heavy thing that can’t be moved that they’re having real difficulty moving,” Padilla added.

CDOT said there were no injuries adding that surprisingly, no one was traveling southbound on that part of the road when this crash happened.

Right now CDOT believes the cause of the accident may be due to a mechanical failure of the semi. Colorado State Patrol said they’re also investigating to see if speed was a factor.

The driver was also ticketed. We’re told the trucking company will be the one paying for all of the clean up today.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/09/24/crash-shut-down-interstate-for-10-hours/