A semi-trailer truck careened through the structure of the Second Street Bridge and dangled over the Ohio River today.
In a scene that could be straight out of the first “Paw Patrol” movie, both the tractor unit and its semi-trailer dangled from the side of the four-lane cantilevered truss bridge that carries US 31 across the Ohio River between Louisville and Jeffersonville.
The driver, an unnamed woman, was rescued, and is safe. But the debate over the 35 mph speed limit (and who actually follows it), the width of the lanes on the bridge, and whether semi-trailer trucks should be allowed on the streets in downtown Louisville in the first place are raging.
The Second Street Bridge, formally known as the George Rogers Clark Memorial Bridge, and the double-deck Sherman Minton Bridge that carries I-64 and US 150 over the river, are the only bridges in town without tolls. Whether the driver was given this route by her company to save on fuel or tolls costs or she choose the route herself is unknown.
As relieved as we are that the driver is safe, this whole situation is wild. Even for Louisville.
This article appears in Feb 28 – Mar 12, 2024.
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