In my coverage of the water main break on Wisconsin Avenue last night, I mentioned that a tractor trailer was allowed to detour around the closure by traveling south on Wisconsin - in the northbound lanes!
Northbound traffic continued forward, and moved aside to allow the truck to pass. The scary part was that northbound traffic did not appear to have been stopped while the truck traveled toward it.
It was unclear who at the north end of the road closure - if anyone - had given the trucker clearance to drive the wrong way; other vehicles were being turned around at the roadblock.
What you see in the photos below (click to enlarge, as the truck is at a distance), is the white 18-wheeler driving the wrong way south between Dorset and Saks Fifth Avenue. The headlights of oncoming cars are visible ahead, and to the left of the truck.
2 comments:
Perhaps it was too heavy to use the detour roads?
I think you're probably right about that. But they should have either sent the truck out Bradley to take the closest through street to River Road, which he could have taken back to the District. If it was too late to make that turn west onto Bradley, someone should have gotten the police to either block traffic at the south end of the closure, or escort him with lights and sirens. As it was, an 18-wheeler was traveling head-on into oncoming cars, which desperately pulled to the right side of the road as they (fortunately!) realized a truck was coming at them. Very dangerous and reckless move that could have caused a deadly crash. Impatience is not a virtue.
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