Crash creates Northway havoc
Rig hits bridge, closing lanes for safety reasons
State Police and transportation officials were still dealing with the aftereffects of the collision of a boom lift into a Northway overpass many hours after the jarring impact.
By Wednesday night, after an inspection and assessment was conducted by engineers, the southbound lanes of the Northway remained closed between exits 9 and 8A, but state Department of Transportation crews began installing temporary support structures as a way to safely reopen two of the three lanes in hopes of being ready in time for Thursday morning ’s rush hour.
“The southbound Northway is now open only to passenger vehicles between Exits 10 and 9, with trucks being directed to detour at Exit 10,” a DOT advisory said Wednesday night. “To better accommodate local southbound traffic, the timing of traffic lights along State Route 9 have been adjusted for motorists using this alternate route. We will continue to keep the traveling public apprised of the situation as it develops.”
The vehicle damaged a support girder above the highway at about 5:30 a.m. and left the southbound side of the highway closed for hours so repairs could be made. The boom lift — heavy aerial equipment also known as a cherry picker — was being towed on a trailer behind a truck when it struck the bridge.
No one was injured, officials said.
Hours after the crash, inspectors remained at the scene and the state offered no clear indication when the closed lanes would reopen. Shortly before noon, the state Department of Transportation issued a statement saying bridge inspectors were continuing to survey the damage.
“We are actively working to address the situation in cooperation with State Police, and encourage travelers to avoid this area while the inspection and repairs take place,” Patrick Barnes, the director of DOT’S Region 1, said in a prepared statement. “We will keep the public updated on any change in the situation.”
The crash left an eerie sight with miles of empty road on one of the region’s most heavily traveled highways and complicated the morning commute, as drivers had to detour off nearby roads as they tried to find other ways to work. A photograph supplied by the State Police showed how one girder was torn by the impact.
Clifton Park Supervisor Phil Barrett said three of the five steel girders holding up the Sitterly Road overpass were compromised. The overpass connects the towns of Clifton Park and Halfmoon.
“Engineering personnel and metal experts are at the site conducting inspections,” Barrett said during the afternoon. “Through the analysis they will decide the next steps in the process, which will ultimately dictate the amount of time before any lanes are reopened.”
Options for more permanent repairs to the structure are still being evaluated, according to the Department of Transportation.