Flipped grain truck creates traffic jam

June 25, 2008 07:27 am

— SUNBURY — A grain truck that flipped and spilled its haul of feed closed westbound lanes on Veterans Memorial Bridge for 4½ hours Tuesday morning.
Sunbury police said they received a call about the accident on the city-side on-ramp at 7:23 a.m. As of 10:43 p.m. Tuesday they were not able to provide the name of the truck driver, who was believed to be uninjured in the accident, or any other information.
North- and westbound traffic on the east side of the river was routed through Northumberland, which turned part of Front Street into a parking lot.
After an hour and 45 minutes of inching north along Front Street, Kathy Troutman, of Dornsife, said she had traveled one block.
“Not only are we losing gas, we’re losing time at work,” she said.
Although annoyed by the delay, Troutman — who was on her way to work at the Susquehanna Valley Mall in Hummels Wharf — said: “What else can I do? We’re stuck.”
Tiffani Walter, of Northumberland, had a similar attitude, passing the time by reading a magazine.
“On a good day I can be to work by 8:30 a.m. Today I’m on my way ... maybe,” said Walter, looking at the long line of idle cars in front of her.
“It happens,” Walter said of the backup.
Rick Mason, a spokesman at the state Department of Transportation in Montoursville, said that actions such as detours are put into place after a cleanup time estimate is made.
“Each emergency presents its own challenges,” Mason said.
Randy Tahler, PennDOT assistant county manager for Northumberland County, said Tuesday morning: “We’re doing the best we can. It’s a heavy traffic route.”
Fire police and cleanup vehicles prevented westbound traffic from being routed onto the bridge in any other way.
Tahler said the detour has been used many times and that the problem was due to the sheer volume of traffic.
In addition: “It’s hard for us to get through traffic to control traffic,” Tahler said.
Motorists weren’t pleased about the backups, but as driver Cassie Gill of Herndon said: “ There’s really no other way to go.”
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Photos

Tiffani Walter, of Northumberland, reads a magazine Tuesday during a traffic jam on Front Street in Sunbury Tuesday morning.

A hazardous materials crew cleans feed spilled by an overturned tractor-trailer on the on-ramp to Veterans Memorial Bridge in Sunbury Tuesday morning.