CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – A tractor-trailer rollover at the Chicopee Curve led to major backups on I-91 North on Tuesday.
The Chicopee Curve has been a trouble spot for decades. MassDOT said it’s safe to drive the Chicopee Curve as long as you slow down to the posted speed limit.
A tractor-trailer rolled over onto its side at the Chicopee Curve early Tuesday morning, backing up traffic for miles on I-91 North.
It took eight hours for crews to remove the tipped-over big-rig and clean up the spilled load and reopen the highway. The truck driver was cut out of his mangled cab and brought to the hospital.
“I saw a green truck with a bunch of trash, and it was split wide open,” Brian Jones of Springfield described the scene. “I hope the guy was being careful because it’s kind of rough on those roads.”
The Chicopee Curve on the stretch of I-91 has been the site of numerous accidents over the years. Drivers told 22News too many people fail to slow down when they approach the curve.
MassDOT said there is already sufficient signage to alert drivers to the Chicopee curve, including its reduced 50-mile-per-hour speed limit. There is also a large overhead speed advisory sign before the curve, as well as individual speed limit signs, on both I-91 North and South.
State Police are looking into what led up to the tractor-trailer rollover on Tuesday.
No word on the condition of the driver.
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