'Wrong turn' sparks almighty nightmare on Queensland highway
A mammoth operation stretched into the night yesterday as authorities struggled to remove a huge part of a wind turbine wedged under a bridge on a major highway north of Brisbane.
The oversized vehicle slammed into the Mount Crosby Bridge, about 45 minutes from Brisbane on the Warrego Highway, about 1.30am on Friday, taking off chunks of concrete as it became stuck under the 5.5-metre overpass.
Authorities said the oversized truck was under police escort but the driver failed to follow the pilot vehicle.
READ MORE: Australian contestant Go-Jo knocked out of Eurovision
"It was very scary to wake up to," one resident told 9News.
The jam caused traffic to backup for kilometres on the highway.
It was soon realised it would not be a quick fix, with tow truck drivers the first to attempt to pull out the jammed piece but damaging the road in the process.
By last night, at least 18 hours after it had become stuck, about 10 tow trucks were at the scene as authorities continued their bid to remove the blockage.
"It's a bit of a shemozzle, it's going to be closed for a while," one witness said as crowds flocked to the unusual sight on what was a public holiday in Ipswich for the local show.
Police believe the truck's driver failed to follow the pilot and escorting vehicles, which took an off-ramp specifically designed for the transport of parts to the Wambo Wind Farm project.
Logistics company Qube said it was fully cooperating with authorities.
"Early this morning, a truck carrying wind tower components under escort made contact with a bridge on the Warrego Highway," a Qube spokesperson said.
"The exact circumstances that led to this incident are under investigation and Qube is fully cooperating with relevant authorities.
"Fortunately, no injuries were sustained and Qube was able to deploy specialist equipment to support the recovery effort."
The truck driver, aged in his 50s, was checked over at Ipswich Hospital.
DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP: Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. Available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.