By Ethan James
A police investigation has been launched after a truck carrying a wind turbine tower got stuck under a major highway overpass, causing traffic delays and long detours.
The turbine tower got lodged on part of the Warrego Highway in south-east Queensland about 1.40am on Friday.
The turbine was removed some 12 hours later, with the westbound lane of highway expected to reopen on Sunday afternoon, and part of the overpass to reopen within a week.
Initial investigations suggest the driver of the oversized truck failed to follow escorting vehicles to an off-ramp, instead continuing on the highway.
Queensland Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said the truck had a permit requiring it to leave the highway via a roundabout.
“The escort took that trip, but the truck did not,” he said on Saturday.
“There will be an investigation from the Queensland Police Service and my department.
“Pending that investigation, we will take action as appropriate.
“We need to understand what happened here … and ensure it doesn’t happen in the future.”
The turbine caused significant damage to the overpass and road, Mickelberg added.
The turbine was removed with extreme care in small increments to enable engineers to assess the bridge structure.
The section of wind turbine jammed under the Mount Crosby Road overpass.Credit: Nine
It was removed from the site by Qube Haulage, the company initially transporting the turbine part.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding initially feared the overpass could be closed for up to a year.
“I’m very grateful [in terms of the reopening timeline],” she said.
“I just ask for people to be a bit patient over the next week while those detours are in place.”
A team works to remove the turbine after it became stuck.Credit: Nine
She said the detour was adding 30 minutes to commuters’ trips.
The Warrego Highway connects Brisbane with parts of Queensland west of the capital, such as Toowoomba.
The truck driver, a man in his 50s, was taken to hospital for assessment.
