UPDATE: Roads clear after oversized load is moved away from overpass
Published at | Updated at
UPDATE:
The truck has been moved and the roads have now reopened.
ORIGINAL STORY:
IDAHO FALLS — An oversized dump truck that was being transported through Idaho Falls to Dillon, Montana is still blocking the southbound lanes of Interstate 15 connecting Idaho Falls and Roberts.
Idaho State Police told East Idaho News on Monday that the semi-truck carrying the dump truck had stopped in front of the overpass as it entered I-15 from Grandview Drive around noon Monday. The vehicle did not have the clearance to go under the bridge.
No vehicles have been damaged and no one has been injured.
Lt. Chris Weadick told East Idaho News Tuesday the blockage occurred based on confusing language on the permit as to which route the driver needed to take.
Tamara Littrell, the owner of S&T Trucking out of Ranchester, Wyoming said their driver followed the route on the permit issued by the Idaho Transportation Department. Littrell says this was a glitch in the ITD system, which resulted in the truck being routed incorrectly.
Truck gets stuck under Idaho Falls overpass, causing traffic delays
“The state of Idaho screwed this up,” Littrell said. “We’ve been doing this for 40 years, and we know what we are doing.”
When asked to confirm that, ITD spokeswoman Megan Stark said, “there was some directional confusion by both parties that resulted in this situation.”
Littrell says either the truck will have to be backed up to another road, or the dump truck will have to be offloaded and drive around the overpass. In a Tuesday morning news release, ITD officials said there is no estimate on when this incident will be cleared or when that section of the interstate will reopen. Drivers are encouraged to avoid the area or expect delays.
The southbound lanes are temporarily closed starting in Roberts at the exit 135 off-ramp. A detour is in place to route traffic back to I-15 in Idaho Falls south of exit 119. Northbound lanes are still open.