Tipped truck clogs route to bridge entrance for five hours

Traffic in the northbound lanes of Huron Church Road was a nightmare for those trying to get to Detroit after a transport truck fell onto its side at the entrance to the Ambassador Bridge Friday morning.

By the time Windsor police traffic officers reopened the lanes north of College Avenue around 2:20 p.m., the route had been clogged for five hours.

It all started around 9:15 a.m. when a transport truck fell onto its driver side just north of the College Avenue intersection, where Huron Church Road splits into Patricia Road to allow vehicles to enter the bridge plaza.

Windsor police spokesman Sgt. Steve Betteridge said on Friday afternoon that the cause of the crash remained under investigation, but injuries were “very minor.”

The truck’s cargo was believed to be auto parts. Betteridge said the size and weight of the vehicle and its load complicated efforts to clear the roadway.

The entrance to the bridge was at first completely closed to traffic to allow firefighters and other responders to deal with the scene.

Eventually, a single far right lane was opened to allow some traffic movement. But as of 11 a.m., vehicles remained backed up on Huron Church Road to the intersection with Tecumseh Road West.

Police also closed westbound traffic on College Avenue starting at California Avenue, and turned eastbound traffic south onto Huron Church Road.

Traffic was moving freely by 2:30 p.m.

DAN JANISSE A tow-truck operator checks out a truck tractor trailer that rolled over near the entrance of the Ambassador Bridge around 9:30 a.m. Friday, causing hours of traffic congestion. The driver of the rig was not seriously injured.