FEBRUARY 23, 2015
COMMERCE CITY, COLORADO
A semitrailer loaded with 41,000 pounds of cheese crashed on
E-470 on Monday morning, splitting in half and causing a traffic backup on the
toll road.
The crash happened about 6:30 a.m. at East 96th Avenue when
the truck hit the bridge and veered off the road and into the center median,
the Colorado State Patrol said.
The driver and a passenger were not injured and the driver
was cited for careless driving. The cheese was being transported to Laredo,
Texas.
Traffic was diverted off the toll highway at East 96th
Avenue then back on, but one lane was later reopened. Traffic at one point was
backed up about 2 miles to East 112th Avenue.
The state patrol said the cheese had to be unloaded before
the truck could be towed. It termed it a “long-term project” that could last
until at least noon. The road was actually cleared and reopened at 3:30 Monday
afternoon
An alternate route was to exit at East 120th Avenue, then go
east to Tower Road.
The driver must have cut the cheese while driving and this
caused him to hit the bridge and cut the truck in half.