Two semi-trucks damage Porterville Road Bridge; I-15 reopens
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UPDATE
Idaho State Police report that two semi-trucks, which were hauling “bulldozers,” struck the Porterville Road Bridge on Tuesday afternoon.
Troopers say a 1986 Peterbilt semi-truck that was hauling two bulldozers, driven by a 36-year-old male from New Plymouth was traveling northbound when it struck the bridge. It appears a bulldozer, which fell into the median, came from this semi-truck.
A 2013 Volvo semi-truck that was also hauling two bulldozers, driven by a 47-year-old male from Las Vegas, Nevada, was traveling northbound behind the first semi when it also struck the bridge, according to a news release.
Those vehicles appear to have stayed on the trailer bed, according to photos of the incident.
Both semi-truck drivers were wearing seatbelts.
Interstate 15 reopened in the area at around 11 p.m. Tuesday.
The Porterville Road Bridge will be shut down until further notice as the Idaho Transportation Department works to repair it.
ORIGINAL STORY
BLACKFOOT — A semi-truck hauling a load of backhoes on Interstate 15 on Tuesday lost one of the excavating machines after hitting a bridge in Bingham County.
The semi-truck’s load struck the Porterville Road Bridge above mile marker 94, north of Blackfoot, around 5:30 p.m.
Bingham County Sheriff Chief Deputy Jordyn Nebeker says the bridge has suffered major damage and is closed indefinitely. Idaho Transportation Department bridge crews are investigating to determine the integrity of the bridge and the outlook for repairs.
As a result, Porterville Road has been closed for about a half mile on either side of the bridge. The only traffic on that section of the road should be residents who live in the immediate area. Everyone else should divert to other county roads, Nebeker said.
The crash, in the northbound lane of I-15, left a backhoe in the highway median, and crews are working to clear the blockage, according to Idaho State Police Lt. Todd Orr.
As of 7:30 p.m., all I-15 lanes are closed near the crash with no estimated time of reopening, according to ITD spokeswoman Sky Buffat.
Traffic is being diverted off I-15. Southbound I-15 traffic should take Exit 116 (Sunnyside) or 113 (South Idaho Falls) onto U.S. Highway 91 to Blackfoot, and northbound traffic should take Exit 93 in Blackfoot.
There is a significant traffic backup in Bingham County as of Tuesday evening.
No injuries have been reported.
EastIdahoNews.com will update this story as more details are released.