Syracuse, NY-- A part of a crane struck the underside of a bridge and forced the shutdown of Interstate 81 north for 20 minutes during rush hour this morning while inspectors combed the structure for damage. Damage to the bridge that takes I-690 westbound over I-81 was minimal and is not a threat to the traveling public at this...
I-690 bridge over I-81 in Syracuse, NY, is inspected by the New York Department of Transportation crews a crane struck the underside of the bridge.Syracuse, NY-- A part of a crane struck the underside of a bridge and forced the shutdown of Interstate 81 north for 20 minutes during rush hour this morning while inspectors combed the structure for damage.
Damage to the bridge that takes I-690 westbound over I-81 was minimal and is not a threat to the traveling public at this time, said Hank Polech, of the New York State Department of Transportation.
About 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, a Freightliner truck being driven by Donald R. Ogle, 59, of Jacksboro, Tenn., was towing an American crane with a boom north on I-81.
The left side of the crane struck the bridge, dislodging the boom. The boom came to rest on the west side of the highway in the construction zone under the Butternut Street bridge, said state police Trooper Jack Keller.
The truck turned back to pick up its missing piece, and the driver was ticketed for failure to secure his cargo, Keller said.
The state DOT was notified of the accident by one of the construction workers at the Butternut Street Bridge project who heard a loud noise and saw a piece of the crane lying on the road, Polech said.
An inspector who looked at the structure right away, determined that the I-690 bridge that carries 35,250 vehicles a day was safe, he said.
Then at 7:41 a.m. Thursday, Polech notified the public that I-81 northbound would be closed through the city from 8-8:15 a.m. for an emergency bridge inspection. Such inspections are routine after a bridge has been struck, he said.
This morning was the earliest time the bridge inspection team, and a team of workers from the Butternut Street Bridge project, could come together to coordinate the inspection and road closing, Polech said.
That section of I-81 north is less busy in the morning hours, he said. Traffic would have been much worse had the team inspected the bridge at 4 or 5 in the afternoon, Polech said.
“Timing is everything,” he said.