A truck carrying an oversized load found itself stuck Tuesday morning in the contraflow lane of Interstate 64 westbound just after the Fort Hill bridge in Charleston.
The truck was traveling through a portion of the sectioned-off lane just before 10 a.m. when it found the fit too tight as the road slightly curved after the Eugene Carter Memorial Bridge, locally known as the Fort Hill bridge. The carrier, Transport Bellemare International from Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada, struck a bridge support with its load, a large piece of equipment being transported to Mexico.
Officials with the West Virginia Department of Transportation noted Tuesday that wide and oversized loads are notified by the department's Permitting Division to use detour routes while the contraflow lane is in place. Detours are marked along interstates approaching the contraflow lane, and message boards are in place to tell oversize vehicles to exit at 58C, West Washington Street.
The driver, Michael Bernier-Fortin of Cad St-Ignace, Quebec, Canada, and the lead escort driver John Bessy of Canton, New York, were both given citations for failure to obey a traffic control device, said Cpl. Brian W. Jones, of the Charleston Police Department's Traffic Division.
Transportation officials closed the eastbound lanes of Interstate 64 at the 58 mile marker at about noon so they could move the tractor and trailer, which took about 45 minutes.