Trucks transporting containers for the Honda battery plant in Jeffersonville caused traffic disruption in downtown Wilmington after bottoming out on narrow streets. Despite state-approved paperwork, a reroute through the city a day before was necessitated due to bridge renovations.
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WILMINGTON — On Wednesday afternoon, two large trucks transporting containers for the Honda battery plant in Jeffersonville caused traffic disruption in downtown Wilmington.
The trucks, carrying containers meant to hold lithium from the plant, bottomed out on South Street and part of Main Street due to the narrow roads. Wilmington Police Chief Robert Wilson reported that the trucks were unable to navigate the tight turns, leading to their immobilization.
Despite having state-approved paperwork outlining their route, the day before the trucks were rerouted through Wilmington due to bridge renovations. However, the increased narrowness of the roads, caused by protruding kick-outs, proved challenging for the oversized vehicles.
To resolve the situation, The State Highway Patrol obtained permission from the state to reroute the trucks onto safer roads, taking them down Route 134 and Route 68. The trucks were directed to the Jobs and Family Services parking lot, where they were able to maneuver and proceed towards their destination via Route 22.
The incident resulted in temporary road closures and traffic delays in downtown Wilmington. However, normal traffic flow resumed around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday as the trucks were successfully redirected, according to Wilson.
The Honda and LG Energy Solution joint venture battery plant released a statement on the matter: “We apologize for any disruption or inconvenience that resulted from this challenging effort to transport large equipment to our joint venture EV battery plant. The situation was resolved and we want to thank all those involved for their support. We also will take precautions in the future to ensure that we can avoid any similar issues.”
