GREAT FALLS — A truck driver apparently misjudged the height of his load of hay while driving along 15th Street North on Tuesday, December 21, 2021.
It happened just after 11:30 a.m.
The truck clipped the bottom part of the bridge overpass of Smelter Avenue NE, losing part of its load and damaging the bridge.
As of noon, southbound and northbound lanes of 15th Street North are closed, and so is the Smelter Avenue overpass; there is no indication how long the closures will last.
Engineers are surveying the damage to determine what repairs will be necessary.
There are no reports of any serious injuries.
Emergency crews are at the scene.
We will update you if we get more information.
(UPDATE) As of 5:30 p.m., the Smelter Avenue bridge has re-opened, and so has the northbound lane of 15th Street North.
The incident was originally reported to the Montana Highway Patrol as a "hit and run" crash.
A few minutes after it happened, several people reported to KRTV that the suspect vehicle had been pulled over along River Drive North between 15th Street and 25th Street.
There is no word yet on what charges or citations the truck driver may be facing.
