Pave the way for Palmwoods: Another truck has crashed into the protection beam at a notorious rail bridge

A truck has crashed at a notorious Palmwoods intersection only weeks after the State Government lowered speed limits to improve road safety. SEE THE PICTURES

Photos have emerged of a truck crashing at a notorious intersection in Palmwoods only weeks after the State Government lowered speed limits to improve road safety in the town.

A Queensland Police spokeswoman said crews were called to the scene at 4pm after a truck collided with the protection beam of the bridge on Monday.

They said a crane had attended the incident to help recover the truck, which was carrying an excavator, and traffic control was in place for a well over an hour.

The spokeswoman said the scene had been cleared by 5.45pm with traffic back to normal.

They believed the truck driver had been issued an infringement notice

A witness said the truck had hit the bridge over Woombye Palmwoods Rd/Margaret Street with force.

"It hit so hard trains had to stop," they said.

The witness said the excavator had been damaged as a result of the incident.

A Queensland Rail spokeswoman confirmed reports of the strike but said the truck had hit the protection beams and not the bridge.

She said rail services had not been impacted and were operating as per normal.

The crash comes after Sunshine Coast Daily launched the Pave the way for Palmwoods campaign to improve road safety in the town including the notorious intersection at the rail bridge.

The State Government agreed to reduce the speed limit from 50km/h to 40km/h along Margaret Street, from east of the Chevallum Road intersection to west of the post office earlier in June as a result of the campaign.

 

Thirteen instances of a truck coming into contact with the Woombye-Palmwoods Road rail bridge at Palmwoods were recorded in 2020, including one bridge strike and 12 strikes to the protection beams, according to Transport Department figures.

A total of 126 speeding offences were detected by officers stationed in the Palmwoods Queensland Police Service division from January 1 to December 31, in 2020.

Drivers ignoring a stop sign at the intersection in Palmwoods were warned against their dangerous behaviour in May by the town's top cop after it was revealed 200 infringements had been issued in the area in the past year.

A total of 126 speeding offences were detected by officers stationed in the Palmwoods Queensland Police Service division from January 1 to December 31, in 2020.

Seventeen moving traffic offences were noted, 12 unregistered offences, eight drink driving and five disobey road signage.

Originally published as Not again: Truck crashes at notorious Coast intersection