Road Opens after 33 hour Halt on Highway

FUKUSHIMA (Kyodo) A highway in Fukushima Prefecture reopened Monday morning after being closed for 33 hours by an errant truck.

Reopened: Traffic flows again Monday on a highway in Nishiaizu, Fukushima Prefecture, after a truck accident closed the snow-hit road for more than 33 hours. KYODO PHOTO

The thoroughfare was shut after a large truck lost control and blocked the road during heavy snowfall, resulting in about 300 vehicles being stranded due to the accident.

The gridlock was cleared late Sunday night and all people in the stranded vehicles rescued after snowplows cleared drifting snow with help from Ground Self-Defense Force personnel.

The Koriyama highway office of the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry says many of the cars trapped on the highway were not equipped with tire chains or snow tires. 

While heading toward Niigata Prefecture at around 9 p.m. Saturday, the driver of one truck lost control of his vehicle on the slippery road and the truck ended up straddling both lanes of the highway, officials at the local highways office said. The accident resulted in the closure of a 12-km stretch of road connecting the towns of Nishiaizu and Aizusakashita from 9:35 p.m.

Traffic on the highway was heavy because a nearby expressway had been closed from Saturday morning, also due to heavy snow.

The Koriyama highway office began snow-clearing operations Saturday night and provided drivers who spent the night in their vehicles with food and gasoline. The clearing was completed at around 7 a.m. Monday, allowing the road to be reopened to traffic.

After making little headway, the office issued a request to the GSDF for help at around 4 p.m. Sunday, more than 18 hours after the highway was closed.

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