Wyoming I-90 Bridge Strike From Oversized Cargo Haul Leaves ‘Major’ Damage

The Wyoming Department of Transportation faces more than $1 million in damage to an Interstate 90 bridge in Gillette, along with traffic curbs on two routes and lengthy repairs, after a truck hauling an oversized load on a state highway struck it from beneath on Sept. 2.

The I-90 bridge over state route 59 in Gillette “sustained major damage,” the Wyoming Highway Patrol said.

It said the truck was transporting an excavator track hoe but “the boom of the excavator had not been properly loaded and secured. The extended boom exceeded the 16-foot, 8-inch height clearance of the underpass of I-90 on WY-59 causing the boom to strike the bridge.”

Eastbound I-90 traffic on that bridge was diverted to the left passing lane only, with a reduced speed of 45 mph as WYDOT assessed the damage, and no further oversized traffic was being permitted in the meantime.

In addition, traffic on WY-59 below was also diverted while crews cleaned debris from under the bridge and assessed its damage from underneath.

The Gillette News Record, citing a state DOT official, said one bridge beam would need to be replaced and two others repaired – work that would take about a year and cost more than $1 million.