Tractor trailer stuck after driving half a mile down rail trail in Northampton – GazetteNET
A tractor trailer stuck on the rail trail off Bates Street by the industrial park in Northampton. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS
A tractor trailer stuck on the rail trail off Bates street by the industrial park in Northampton. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS
A tractor trailer stuck on the rail trail off Bates Street by the industrial park in Northampton. STAFF PHOTO/CAROL LOLLIS
NORTHAMPTON — A tractor trailer entered the Norwottuck Rail Trail from Damon Road on Tuesday morning and traveled a distance of just under half a mile before it became trapped at a tight turn onto Bates Street, forcing a multi-agency response to remove the vehicle from the bike path.
Northampton police blocked the road for about two hours and crews from the Department of Public Works responded along with Massachusetts State Police, Red’s Towing and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, which maintains the trail.
The DPW removed a stop sign and a pedestrian crossing sign to give the truck more room to turn onto Bates Street. The Red’s crew separated the truck from the trailer and towed them one at a time; still, the tow truck’s range of motion was limited by the tree-lined sidewalk across the street, and the driver had to avoid getting the tires stuck in mud.
Some students and caregivers were at the Montesorri School naerby for programs during school vacation, and employee Chris Scanlon said the traffic tie-up would have been much worse if the incident had happened on a typical school day.
Scanlon said he saw the trapped truck at around 8 a.m. and flagged down a police officer who was working a detail with a tree-trimming crew down the street.
“I saw the truck coming down the bike path, and I automatically assumed it had something to do” with the tree trimming, Scanlon said. “I said to the police officer, ‘Is that supposed to be there?’ He said ‘No.’”
Scanlon said he was worried the situation would drag on “all day,” but around 9:45 a.m., he expressed relief as he watched the tow truck successfully move the tractor trailer alongside Tony O’Callaghan, the school’s facilities manager who had gotten caught up in the initial traffic jam.
“The good news is that we have the kind of kids who look out the window and think, ‘This is fun!’” Scanlon said. “They got their money’s worth today.”
NORTHAMPTON — Advocates for the rights of people with disabilities plan to rally this weekend for improved access to public spaces, calling…
NORTHAMPTON — A tractor trailer entered the Norwottuck Rail Trail from Damon Road on Tuesday morning and traveled a distance of just under half a…
EASTHAMPTON — The outlook of an ongoing city project is getting clearer as the Mount Tom North Trailhead Park nears completion.Since the fall of…
50 Years Ago■Hampshire County was pretty well represented in the BAA Marathon yesterday with Tom Derderian, a UMass senior and winner of the…