A truck hauling an oversized load smashed into the underside of a bridge over Interstate 70 in the Golden area on Saturday, sparking a five-hour closure of the highway’s westbound lanes while engineers assessed the damage.
The incident, which was reported about 12:30 p.m., occurred when an asphalt hopper being transported on a flatbed trailer got wedged against the girders supporting a bridge on C-470 that crosses I-70.
The damage to the structure was not believed to be significant enough to pose a safety hazard, but it will require repairs at some point, said Stacey Stegman, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation.
A girder being installed on the same bridge collapsed in 2004, tearing a Dodge Durango in half and killing an Evergreen couple and their 2-year-old daughter.
In Saturday’s incident, a trucker was transporting an asphalt hopper west on I-70 that was too tall to fit beneath the bridge.
The hopper wedged against the bottom of the bridge in the right lane.
“I wouldn’t say it happens frequently, but it does happen from time to time,” Stegman said.
The left and middle lanes of westbound I-70 were reopened about 5 p.m. The right lane and on-ramps in the area reopened about 7 p.m.
Stegman said the trucker had the proper permit for transporting an oversized load.
Although she said he should have been in the lane with the most clearance — in this case, the left lane — it probably wouldn’t have made a difference. That’s because the difference in clearance between the left and right lanes is only a couple of inches, she said.
“I’m not sure if he would have made it anywhere on this particular bridge,” Stegman said.
Closing I-70 sparked problems on other highways in the area, including Sixth Avenue.
Cpl. Eric Wynn of the Colorado State Patrol identified the company operating the rig as BLK Trucking of Tennessee.
He said the investigation was ongoing and it had not been determined whether a citation would be issued.
Denver Post staff writer Kirk Mitchell contributed to this report.
