UPDATE: First Avenue has been cleared and traffic is moving again in both directions.
A flat-bed truck carrying a large construction vehicle struck the railroad bridge over First Avenue, Tuesday morning, stalling car traffic on that road and shutting down rail service on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe tracks.
The truck was headed northbound on First Avenue when it tried to pass under the bridge about 7:35 a.m. However, there wasn’t enough clearance and the machinery on top of the flatbed became wedged under the bridge.
Riverside Police Chief Thomas Weitzel said no one was injured in the crash and no hazardous materials were spilled onto the roadway. The impact did knock a chunk of concrete from the bridge structure, and train traffic was halted for more than an hour as structural engineers determined whether the integrity of the bridge had been compromised in any way.
A spokeswoman from Metra said train traffic resumed about 8:40 a.m.
But vehicle traffic on northbound First Avenue remains shut down between Ogden and Forest avenues. Southbound traffic remains open at this time.
Weitzel said he expects traffic to be impacted for several hours. Police have requested a crane to remove the construction vehicle aboard the flat-bed truck.
Police are investigating “numerous violations” related to the transport of the construction equipment, said Weitzel.
“That truck had no business being on the road,” he said. “He should have known he couldn’t make it through.”
