State Highway 1 traffic backed up more than a kilometre in both directions following a tractor crash on the Balclutha Bridge yesterday morning.
An eerie silence descended on Balclutha’s main street as motorists switched off engines for a delay of about 90 minutes, after a dual-wheel tractor clipped the side of the bridge crossing the Clutha River southbound a little after 10am.
Hitching a lift with Balclutha Volunteer Fire Brigade following his appearance as Santa at a local playcentre was Justin Pigou, of Balclutha.
Mr Pigou said the fire truck was right behind the tractor as it clipped the protective concrete road barrier crossing the bridge, damaging the rear wheel and axle.
‘‘He’s just a young guy by the look of it, and instead of stopping, maybe a bit of inexperience has made him keep on going, which has ripped off the dual [wheel] and led to the axle break.
‘‘Luckily no-one was coming the other way, and we were right behind him, so the brigade members were pretty quick off the mark to secure the scene and ensure everyone’s safety.’’
‘‘It’s not the first time someone’s clipped the bridge, and it won’t be the last, I expect.’’
Emergency services remained on site for about two hours while the tractor was removed, allowing a single lane to pass after about 90 minutes.
This led to tailbacks of more than a kilometre in both directions on SH1.
Balclutha fire station officer Gavin Sutton said emergency services and local businesses had worked well together to minimise delays.
‘‘Obviously if this had happened on a country road, no-one would have been too rushed. But at this key pinch point on State Highway 1, it was important for everyone to work together to get traffic moving again as quickly and safely as possible. The team’s done well today.’’
He said oil that spilled from the tractor had been contained and was cleared before traffic was allowed to resume.
