I-280 bridge lanes to be shut after mishap

6/21/2012
BLADE STAFF AND NEWS SERVICES

Two of four lanes on a bridge over I-280 in Lake Township will be closed indefinitely after the span was hit by a truck Tuesday, the Ohio Department of Transportation said Wednesday.

Three of the Bahnsen Road bridge's steel beams were damaged when a roll-off scrap-metal container on the southbound truck struck it at about 3 p.m. Tuesday, agency spokesman Theresa Pollick said.

Southbound I-280 remained restricted to one lane until Wednesday afternoon. But evaluation of the bridge will continue and Bahnsen traffic will use only the two center lanes until it is restored, she said.

Lake Township Police Chief Mark Hummer said the hydraulic equipment somehow activated while the truck was moving, causing the container to become elevated and strike the bridge.