Crane almost ends up in the Lochsa River

A tractor-trailer hauling a crane to a work site along U.S. Highway 12 slid off the roadway late Thursday night and is lodged along the Lochsa River bank.

Megan Sausser, public information specialist for the Idaho Transportation Department, said Friday the roadway is expected to be partially blocked for at least a few more days until crews determine how to remove the wreckage.

It is not yet known for certain how the accident happened at milepost 114, west of the Fish Creek Bridge, Sausser said. The tractor-trailer was hauling a crane that was in pieces when it went off the northbound lane and slid down the bank toward the river.

The wreckage did not reach the water, however, and it doesn't appear there is any leakage, Sausser said.

Currently there are no extra road closures through the Highway 12 corridor, where construction is ongoing in several locations. In the next few days, however, there likely will be an extended closure as the department uses additional cranes to remove the wrecked vehicle. The duration of the full closure is not yet known, Sausser said.

The crane is the second crane to have wrecked in Idaho County in the past week. State Highway 13 near Harpster was closed Thursday night until Friday morning to remove a crane that had fallen off a truck about a week earlier.

The transportation department will post updates through the weekend on its website: 511.idaho.gov, and the U.S. Highway 12 project website at: http://iplan.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=fd02df060a6e48ad849eefce88d25074

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Hedberg may be contacted at kathyhedberg@gmail.com or at (208) 983-2326.