December 3, 2014
South Dakota

Semi blocks traffic on Highway 281

By Daily Republic News on Dec 3, 2014 | www.mitchellrepublic.com

PLANKINTON – A semi truck blocked traffic for about an hour Tuesday when its trailer got caught on a guardrail on U.S. Highway 281 near Plankinton.

S.D. Highway Patrol Trooper Grant Lubbers said a semi hauling a wind turbine pillar west on Interstate 90 and took the 310 exit onto Highway 281. The semi turned south onto 281, making an extra-wide turn, Lubbers said.

The trailer hauling the pillar also had a rear dolly, or trailer, with auto-steer, which automatically straightens out the trailer on wide turns. That trailer wasn’t able to straighten out before it hit the guardrails, Lubbers said.

The axle of the rear trailer went onto the cable guardrail and hooked onto the metal guardrail. The semi trailer became stuck on the guardrail on the 281 overpass bridge over I-90, and blocked north and south lanes of traffic, Lubbers said.

Law enforcement responded to the scene around 3:06 p.m. and rerouted traffic through Plankinton.

The driver was not cited in the incident, Lubbers said, but the semi truck sustained about $500 damage. Several metal and wood posts were ripped from the ground as well, but Lubbers did not have a cost estimate for the damage.

Nothing came off the semi’s trailer and no one was hurt.

[rest of article available at source]

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2014/12/03/semi-blocks-traffic-on-highway-281/