A dump truck driver was injured when he crashed his truck into an overhead sign early Tuesday morning on Interstate 35 in Merriam.
Merriam Police were called to the southbound lanes of I-35 south of Antioch Road at 2:02 a.m. for a reported traffic hazard.
A dump truck working on the overnight repaving project for the highway tried to drive under a Kansas City Scout message board with the dump bed raised. The impact caused the sign to crash down to the pavement below.
The dump truck pulled to the right shoulder and stopped.
Johnson County Med-Act ambulances responded to the scene to check the driver for injuries, and Overland Park firefighters assisted with containing a diesel fuel spill from the truck.
The driver, only identified as a man in his early 30s, was transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Police from Merriam, Mission and Overland Park worked to divert all southbound traffic from the Interstate to Antioch Road.
Many of the vehicles caught in the closure south of Antioch were able to turn around and exit the interstate at Antioch. At least 15 tractor-trailers were caught in the closure and too large to turn around.
A tow truck arrived at 3:25 a.m. and started dragging the sign board off of the Interstate.
When a second tow truck arrived, those operators were able to get the sign to the right shoulder.
By 4:15 a.m., the sign board had been lifted over the guard rail and clear of all lanes. The tractor-trailers stuck in the closure were allowed to pass through.
One lane of the southbound lanes reopened to all traffic at about 4:45 a.m.
By 5:55 a.m., Merriam Police reported that the sign board had been moved and that all southbound lanes of I-35 were cleared.
