A police investigation has been launched after a truck carrying a wind turbine tower got stuck under a major highway overpass, causing traffic delays and long detours.
The turbine tower got lodged on part of the Warrego Highway in southeast Queensland at about 1:40 a.m. on May 16.
The turbine was removed some 12 hours later, with the westbound lane of highway expected to reopen on Sunday afternoon and part of the overpass to reopen within a week.
Initial investigations suggest the driver of the oversized truck failed to follow escorting vehicles to an off ramp, instead continuing on the highway.
Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said the truck had a permit requiring it to leave the highway via a roundabout.
“The escort took that trip, but the truck did not,” he said on Saturday.
“There will be an investigation from the Queensland Police Service and my department.
“Pending that investigation, we will take action as appropriate.
“We need to understand what happened here … and ensure it doesn’t happen in the future.”
The turbine had caused significant damage to the overpass and road, Mickelberg added.
The turbine was removed with extreme care in small increments to allow engineers to assess the bridge structure.
It was removed from the site by Qube Haulage, the company whose vehicle was carrying the turbine part.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding initially feared the overpass could be closed for up to a year.
“I’m very grateful [for the reopening timeline],” she said.
“I just ask for people to be a bit patient over the next week while those detours are in place.”
She said the detour was adding 30 minutes to the trips of commuting locals.
The Warrego Highway connects Brisbane with parts of Queensland west of the capital, such as Toowoomba.
The driver of the truck, a man aged in his 50s, was taken to hospital for assessment.
