Delays after lorry sheds load of grain
HIGHWAYS bosses have revealed why a major route near Burton was closed for most of yesterday after a lorry overturned.
Part of the A38 was closed from 10.45am after the vehicle overturned on the southbound side near the A5121 Branston Interchange.
About 28 tonnes of grain was scattered across both sides of the dual carriageway. It was initially reported it was sand, but it was later confirmed to be grain.
The lorry trailer ended up on its side, blocking both lanes of the southbound side heading towards Alrewas.
After initially being closed along with the southbound side, the northbound carriageway reopened but closed again for clean-up work.
According to Highways England, the incident took hours to clear due to “a number of factors”, including getting hold of specialist lifting equipment to remove the damaged truck and repair the central barrier, which was damaged in the incident.
The road was expected to return to normal at around midnight, said a Highways England spokesman.
A senior network planner at Highways England, Frank Bird, said: “This incident is extremely challenging because we are dealing with a number of factors. In order to remove the overturned lorry from the road, we had to source specialist lifting equipment. There is also a significant spillage of grain on both sides of the road and this needs to be removed.
“We also need to carry out extensive barrier repairs in the middle of the road as it has been badly damaged. This work needs to be done for safety reasons and we will reopen the road fully once it is safe to do so.
“We have a short diversion route in operation and we’d like to thank motorists for their patience.”
Traffic was diverted via Tatenhill using the slip roads at Branston and Barton. Bus services were also hit, with coach firm Midland Classic reporting delays to its 812 and X12 lines, which had to divert off the A38 and through Tatenhill.
West Midlands Ambulance Service dealt with one patient thought to be the lorry driver.