July 1, 2025
Maryland

Massive wind turbine blade jumps median, blocks traffic on I-70 in Washington County

by: Odyssey Fields, Randi Bass · Posted: Jun 30, 2025 · dcnewsnow.com

Traffic along Interstate 70 was backed up for several miles after a wind turbine blade on the back of a tractor-trailer fell across the highway Monday morning.

The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) said around 5:30 a.m., a tractor trailer heading westbound near I-70 and I-81 “was pulling a wind turbine blade that struck the guardrail, that caused the blade to go partially into the eastbound lanes, when the blade was then clipped by a tractor trailer traveling eastbound.”

The massive blade landed across all four travel lanes of I-70, blocking traffic in both directions for several hours during the morning commute.

Crews moved the blade out of the way and drove it farther west to a wide shoulder area of the highway, where it sat Monday afternoon.

Maryland State Police say no drivers or passengers were injured, but a member of the crew working at the scene injured their hand and went to a hospital for treatment.

Truck driver Steh Stanley said the massive turbine and the big backups were the talk of his trucking group chat Monday morning.

“I didn’t know what it was at first; that thing was huge when I saw it go by,” said Stanley. “They were sending pictures and said it was an accident or something.”

Traffic cameras captured the bizarre scene as authorities directed traffic in both directions.

For more than two hours, lanes across I-70 were closed, but have since reopened.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2025/07/01/massive-wind-turbine-blade-jumps-median-blocks-traffic-on-i-70-in-washington-county/