Ammonia Scare Closes Dover Bridge

Wed., June 9, 1999

An empty ammonia storage tank being hauled by a truck struck the Dover Bridge on Tuesday morning, closing a 13-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 2 west of Sandpoint.

State police and transportation officials closed the highway as a precaution before determining the tank, which was labeled as carrying ammonia, was empty. People were kept out of a 300-meter area immediately around the crash until crews determined no hazardous materials threat existed, said Idaho State Police Sgt. Jonelle Hessler.

The truck was carrying the tank on a flatbed trailer when it hit the bridge about 8:55 a.m., Hessler said. The driver, who was not injured, likely will be ticketed for towing an over-height load, Hessler said.

The crash also closed a section of railroad tracks that run under the Dover Bridge, but did not affect any businesses or homes. Cars were routed around the collision at Laclede on the west and Division Street on the east, using the Pine Street Loop as a detour.

Damage to the bridge was believed superficial, said Jeff Stratten, an Idaho Transportation Department spokesman. Transportation officials reopened the highway about noon.

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