Loose windmill blade causes delays for Maryland commuters

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Loose windmill blade causes delays for Maryland commuters

Lanes have reopened along Interstate 70 near Hagerstown, Maryland, after a tractor-trailer hauling a windmill blade overturned Monday morning.

Maryland State Troopers from the Hagerstown Barrack responded to westbound I-70 at Exit 26 (Interstate 81) around 5:15 a.m. for an overturned tractor-trailer hauling a windmill blade in Washington County.

A tractor-trailer carrying the wind turbine blade struck a guardrail, according to a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Transportation.

Maryland State Police said the blade became loose from the vehicle, and crossed over the center median and into the eastbound lanes.

One person was transported to Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

The westbound lanes near the crash were closed for around two and a half hours as authorities worked to tow the trailer, according to a transportation department spokesperson.

The WTOP Traffic Center had been reporting delays tied to the scene until just after the blade was removed from the median of I-70 around 8:08 a.m. Traffic appeared to be flowing normal in both directions less than half an hour later.

wind turbine blade
A wind turbine blade sits on the median on Interstate 70 after a crash near Hagerstown, Maryland on June 30. (Courtesy Maryland Department of Transportation)

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.

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Matt Small

Matt joined WTOP News at the start of 2020, after contributing to Washington’s top news outlet as an Associated Press journalist for nearly 18 years.

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