Warrego Highway closed at North Tivoli after truck slams into bridge
Westbound lanes of the Warrego Hwy will reopen tomorrow night with a lengthy detour, after the wind turbine that blocked the highway has been cleared.
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Westbound lanes of the Warrego Hwy will reopen tomorrow night after a truck carrying a wind turbine crashed into Mount Crosby Road Bridge, with a lengthy detour in place until the overpass is partly reopened.
The westbound lanes will reopen in time for Monday morning peak hour but frustrated Ipswich-area residents will have to wait another week before the Mt Crosby overpass will be working.
It was feared on Friday that repairs could take up to 18 months.
Diversions were working well on Saturday after the turbine and the truck carrying it were removed overnight.
Ipswich Mayor Teresa Harding urged motorists to drive carefully next week as a 30 minute detour with multiple intersections would be in place until the overpass was partly reopened.
Transport Minister Brent Mickelberg said the western side of the overpass was significantly damaged and there would only be some lanes reopened by the end of the week.
Initially, the government would fund repairs but it might later seek a contribution from the logistics company whose truck was carrying the turbine.
Ironically, the structure had been funded by the Commonwealth for a major upgrade.
Mr Mickelberg said police were investigating any offence that might have been committed but that investigation has only just started.
The westside lanes of the Warrego Highway and the Mount Crosby bridge were closed since the early hours of Friday, as engineers worked to ensure everything is structurally safe.
“This accident is having a major impact on residents. It’s just the weekend now and yesterday was a public holiday, but this will have a massive impact on the residents,” she said.
“On the north side of the Warrego Tivoli to Karalee, all those residents. This will probably add 20 to 30 minutes each way to their trip.
“So myself and the local councils have provided some advice to TMR on some local detours and where they could probably put some temporary traffic lights so we’ll see what happens there.
Ms Harding said previous jobs had taken 18 months to fix.
“There’s a lot of anxiety in the community that this may take a long time, so we’re very keen to know how long,” she said.
“For residents who are going over the overpass, that’s cut off. So they will have to work on other roads. That’s going to put a huge amount of impact on what are not major intersections.
“I’m very concerned about travel impacts and it’s going to add a lot of commute times for mums and dads.”
Last night, locals took to Facebook to vent their frustration and warn of returning gridlocks for Saturday’s sport drop off rush.
One commenter said the accident would make her already long journey to work untolerable.
“Once again, it’s us, the residents of Ipswich, Karalee, Karana Downs, Mt Crosby and all the way to Toowoomba that suffer the most,” she said.
“I am sick of sitting in hours of traffic just to get to and from work. Now this has happened, how is anyone going to have any sort of life after work?!”
Another commenter explained that the impact would affect residents on both sides of Bremer bridge.
“For those not local, it also creates a major issue for locals on either side of the bridge!,” she said.
“This will absolutely cripple our already gridlocked roads around Ipswich.”
Earlier, a Transport and Main Roads spokesman said the turbine tower was removed overnight with extreme care.
“The load was secured onto transport and removed from the site to a safe location offsite, co-ordinated by Qube haulage,” the spokesman said.
“TMR continues to undertake inspections of the overpass structure, before works commence to clear debris, remove any loose concrete from the structure that could be hazardous to travelling vehicles and undertake pavement repairs.
“The public can continue to expect delays, with traffic control in place and warning signs active across the advanced notification network.
“We apologise for the delays experienced by road users and encourage motorists to check the QLDTraffic website or call 13 19 40 for up-to-date information.”
Yesterday, the cause of the crash was revealed following investigations by police.
Initial investigations by police indicate the truck failed to follow the pilot and escorting vehicles onto the Mount Crosby Rd off-ramp.
Consequently, the truck has continued along the Warrego Highway, with the wind turbine it was carrying striking the bridge.
The driver of the truck, a man in his 50s, was taken to the Ipswich Hospital for assessment.
According to police, traffic was being diverted onto the Mount Crosby Rd, while the Mount Crosby Rd bridge is closed in both directions.
There appears to be significant damage to the road surface.
“The Mt Crosby Road overpass of the Warrego Highway at Tivoli was damaged this morning when a vehicle transporting a wind turbine part struck the bridge,” a statement from the Department of Transport and Main Roads said.
“The incident occurred at 1.34am on Friday 16 May, 2025 when an over-size over mass vehicle travelling in the westbound lanes struck the overpass and became wedged beneath.
“The Mt Crosby Road overpass is currently closed in both directions and the westbound lanes of the Warrego Highway are closed at the location, with diversions in place via the on/off ramps.
“Long delays are expected and road users are encouraged to find an alternate route.”
“The Department of Transport and Main Roads (TMR) crews have mobilised, and are on site to undertake structural assessments to determine when the load can be extracted and the road reopened,” the spokesman said.
The spokesman said the load was being carried under permit and that the department was reviewing its details.
A spokesman for transport company Qube confirmed the incident involved a truck with the company’s branding and said they were “fully co-operating with relevant authorities”.
“Early this morning, a truck carrying wind tower components under escort made contact with a bridge on the Warrego Highway,” the spokesman said.
“The exact circumstances that led to this incident are under investigation.
“Fortunately, no injuries were sustained and Qube was able to deploy specialist equipment to support the recovery effort.”
A Wambo Wind Farm spokesman confirmed the wind turbine was headed to the Wambo Wind Farm, near Jandowae on the Western Downs, as part of the works associated with the stage two development.
“Early this morning, an incident occurred involving a subcontractor transporting equipment for the Wambo Wind Farm project,” the spokesman said.
“The transport company’s vehicle contacted the Mount Crosby Road bridge on Warrego Highway in Queensland.
“There were no injuries reported.
“We are supporting the relevant authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding the event.
“Safety is our highest priority, and we expect all contractors working on our projects to uphold the strictest safety and compliance standards.” Motorists are urged to avoid the area around the crash site and expect lengthy delays.
Originally published as Warrego Highway closed at North Tivoli after truck slams into bridge
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