Morning commuters on Interstate 25 into downtown Denver faced a nightmare Wednesday after a piece of heavy construction equipment overturned near Park Avenue around 4:30 a.m., reducing southbound lanes to just one open route.
The incident involved a shuttle buggy, a machine used to transfer hot asphalt to a paver. The 80,000-pound piece of equipment flipped onto its side near the 20th Street off-ramp while crews were working on a repaving project, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).
Denver7 Traffic Expert Jayson Luber reported that the accident caused more than an hour and a half delay, with some commuters experiencing nearly two-hour drive times from 104th Avenue into downtown by 6:30 a.m.
Luber advised drivers to avoid the area if possible: “The HOV/express lanes were the best and fastest options through this area.” He added that side streets quickly filled up as well, with “Federal Boulevard, N. Pecos Street and Washington Street loaded up with traffic.” For those who needed alternatives, he suggested that “York Street is a good alternative route … the farther drivers stay away from I-25.”
The shuttle buggy’s massive size made recovery especially difficult. Weighing about 40 tons, the machine required special equipment to be righted and towed. Crews finally managed to get it upright and remove it from the interstate at 12:23 p.m., nearly eight hours after it first toppled.
CDOT confirmed that hydraulic fluid had leaked from the equipment, requiring additional cleanup before all lanes could reopen.
The mishap came on top of an already slow morning for commuters. CDOT noted that construction crews working on the long-running repaving project on southbound I-25 had been late removing traffic cones from overnight work, contributing to the congestion even before the equipment overturned.
For weeks, the project has been slowing weekday morning traffic through central Denver. Wednesday’s incident compounded frustrations for thousands of drivers trying to make their way into the city.
Despite the chaos, CDOT emphasized that the contractor worked as quickly as possible to remove the overturned machinery while ensuring safety for both crews and drivers.
By early afternoon, the highway had returned to normal operations, though the morning gridlock served as another reminder of the challenges tied to Denver’s major highway construction projects.
Originally reported by Katie Parkins in Denver 7 ABC News.
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