Part of the Warrego Highway between Brisbane and Ipswich could remain closed for over a year after a truck carrying a wind turbine tower got stuck under an overpass early on Friday.
The turbine tower was carefully removed about 24 hours after the crash but the westbound lane at the Mount Crosby Road overpass remained closed on Saturday morning, forcing motorists into substantial detours.
Initial investigations suggest the driver of the oversized truck failed to follow escorting vehicles onto an off-ramp, instead continuing on the highway.
The crash was having a major impact on residents and freight companies, with a 30-minute detour each way for locals, Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding told Nine’s Today show on Saturday.
“There is a lot of anxiety in the community about how long it is going to take [to reopen the road],” she said.
The section of wind turbine jammed under the Mount Crosby Road overpass.Credit: Nine
“We have seen other major accidents like this take over a year.”
The turbine was removed with extreme care in small increments, enabling engineers to assess the bridge structure, Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads said.
It was removed from the site by Qube Haulage, the company that was initially carrying the turbine part.
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