Watch This Semi-Truck Smash 47 Overhead Tunnel Lights in the Middle of Rush Hour
The tunnel was supposed to be off-limits for big rigs during construction.
Authorities in Minnesota have released video of an unidentified semi-truck illegally driving through a low-clearance tunnel in downtown Minneapolis, destroying 47 overhead lights and raining debris on active lanes of traffic during morning rush hour, the Star Tribune reports.
The city's Lowry Hill Tunnel has been under construction all summer, and tractor-trailers have been banned due to narrower travel lanes and clearance issues created by their shift to the tube's edge to accommodate the work. That unfortunately hasn't stopped truckers from trying their luck, and this footage from last Friday shows why that's a very, very bad idea.
Taken from a pair of security cameras, the clip shows the truck traveling in the right lane as it enters the tunnel. There's a long string of dozens of overhead lights tucked up in the tube's upper corner, but they don't stay there for long—the upper right edge of the truck's trailer methodically smashes every single fixture as it passes. It's oddly satisfying to watch, in a way.
The second camera shows the truck continue its path of destruction through the tunnel, with a very-annoyed construction crew watching the whole thing go down from the work zone opposite the carnage. You can also see traffic slow dramatically as drivers tried to pick their way through the debris field, and the Star Tribune reports tunnel workers themselves had to clear larger chunks from the roadway before police arrived to prevent a massive rush-hour traffic jam.
Police are reportedly still looking for the driver of the truck, which bears the letters JNJ across the top of the cab. It's possible he'll be charged with criminal damage to property, but at the very least he's facing both a hefty repair bill and the wrath of his supervisors.
