Dump truck damages Everett overpass
Traffic was backed up this morning on Route 16 west after a Dump truck slammed into an overpass below the same traffic rotary that was the site of a fiery crash one month ago, state police say.
The full extent of the damage to the Route 99 Sweetser Circle overpass has not been determined yet, but there is no immediate danger to motorists in the area, according to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Two of the three lanes of Route 16 west are closed while DCR inspects the damaged portion of the overpass.
State police Sgt. Mike Rafferty said the driver was on the portion of Route 16 west that runs beneath Sweetser Circle when the trash truck’s movable dump, which was not fully lowered, hit the overpass. The driver received facial injuries and was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
The truck was not carrying anything at the time, Rafferty said. It’s unclear where the truck was headed.
A bridge inspector from the Department of Conservation and Recreation, which maintains Sweetser Circle, is at the scene now, said DCR spokeswoman Lisa Capone. A 100-feet long portion of a sidewalk above a damaged beam in the overpass has been closed for further inspection, she said.
Capone said the overpass has been deemed structurally safe. Caponesaid DCR inspectors are doing a more thorough inspection to determine what happened.
Two of the three lanes of Route 16 west were closed this morning for about 90 minutes and then re-opened for a brief time.
The driver of a fully loaded gasoline tanker truck was allegedly speeding when he lost control and crashed into a guard rail in Sweetser Circle. Leaking fuel flooded a nearby neighborhood and sparked three home fires. No one was killed. Elected Everett officials have since said they’ll propose legislation to ban trucks carrying harzardous materials from the traffic circle.
