Low clearance
KINGSTON — A tractor-trailer damaged the canopy overhang at the Trailways bus terminal on Washington Avenue and caused other structural damage to the building Monday morning as backed-up traffic moved around a water main break at Washington Avenue and North Front Street, Kingston police said.
The incident happened at about 6:20 a.m. and involved a 2008 Kenworth tractor trailer registered to and operated by Jerome Ferro, 63, of Accord, said police Sgt. Cliff Tremper.
City workers set up traffic cones to direct motorists around the water main break while repairs were being made, said Judith Hansen, the superintendent of the Kingston Water Department.
Tremper said Ferro drove onto the Trailways property and under the canopy, disregarding the posted height restrictions and causing damage to the canopy and trailer.
There was also structural damage to the building’s framing, electrical and ceiling tiles, Tremper said.
Ferro was not ticketed, but he was faulted in the accident report for not paying attention to the height restriction, Tremper said.
A Trailways spokesperson said the incident has not affected bus service in and out of the city terminal.
“Within the next 24 hours, we’re having an engineer coming in to make sure it’s safe,” said Anne Noonan, the vice president of marketing and traffic at Trailways’ administrative office in Hurley.
“To the outside of the canopy, there’s a wide-open space where we can board passengers, so it won’t affect services at all,” she said.
Noonan said electricians removed some light fixtures that had been knocked loose, but other than that, she said, there were no electrical problems.
Noonan said she expects that the buses will be able to drive under the canopy again once the engineer deems it safe.
“We’re open for business. Right now, we’re using the outside space to board passengers,” she said.
Noonan did not have an estimate of monetary damages incurred by the Monday morning incident.
The water main break happened sometime early Monday morning, Hansen said.
She said officials were alerted to the problem at 2 a.m. and had a crew at the scene shortly afterward.
The water main was fixed by about 10:30 a.m., Hansen said.
pmitchell@freemanonline.com; twitter.com/anchor@freeman