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Army Truck Damaged Signs Before Bridge

Military Suspends Licenses Of Driver, Assistant

POSTED: 5:36 pm HST September 6, 2006
UPDATED: 7:23 am HST September 7, 2006

Department of Transportation officials said that a U.S. Army truck hit more than just a pedestrian overpass, when it caused a massive traffic problem on Tuesday.

The truck was trying to take its load from Pearl Harbor to Schofield Barracks.

The truck and hydraulic excavator belong the U.S. Army's 82nd Engineering Company.

Less than a tenth of a mile from Pearl Harbor's main gate, a lighting fixture on a freeway sign was smashed. The truck kept driving on the freeway toward Aiea. About a half mile from the gate the lighting fixture on another sign dangled. It appears that the load just made it under another pedestrian overpass, which remained intact.

Despite apparently striking two signs, the driver continued.

About 0.7 of a mile from the gate, another freeway sign was smashed with another sign damaged a short distance later.

Trucks with oversized loads are required to carry a permit. However, state officials said that the truck driver did not have a permit.

"We cannot find a permit issued to them to haul the type of equipment that was transported yesterday," DOT spokesman Scott Ishikawa said.

Army officials admitted that it did not have a permit and that no one applied for a permit. They said that they are trying to find out why as part of the Army's investigation.

Officials suspended the licenses of the 35-year-old driver of the truck and the assistant who was also in the vehicle. The two are not being allowed to drive over-sized vehicles for the military, Army officials said.

The legal height limit for oversize loads is 14 feet. Several overpasses were high enough to escape damage. The overpass that was struck was about 17 feet high. The boom of the excavator was at 18 feet, according to Army officials.

"For reasons still being investigated, the boom of the excavator was in a position higher than in previous transports," Maj. Gen. Stephen Tom said.

Army officials refused to go into specifics about the crash because of their investigation.

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