Belly dump trailer spills load of rocks and dirt on I-15 in Cedar City, causing traffic delays

Written by Jeff Richards
April 18, 2022

CEDAR CITY — A semi truck pulling a belly dump trailer spilled its load of rocks and fill dirt onto Interstate 15 in Cedar City on Monday, causing traffic delays as crews worked to clean up the material off the roadway.

Crews work to clean spilled rocks and dirt on southbound Interstate 15 just north of Exit 57, Cedar City, Utah, April 18, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The incident, which occurred at approximately 11:30 a.m. just north of Exit 57 on southbound I-15, left a significant amount of dirt and rocks across both lanes.

Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randy Riches said the incident appeared to be a case of operator error.

No injuries were reported and no other vehicles were involved, he added.

The incident caused moderate delays along that stretch of I-15 between Exit 59 and Exit 57, with either or both lanes experiencing temporary closures as Utah Department of Transportation and private crews worked together to clear the rocks and dirt from the road. 

The construction company whose driver was responsible for the spill sent several workers to the scene with shovels and brooms; the employees swept and scraped the road to help remove anything that the two front-end loaders were unable to pick up. 

Meanwhile, multiple UHP troopers handled traffic control. The scene was cleared and both lanes were back open by 1 p.m., Riches said.

Although the state typically does send a bill to companies to be compensated for damages or cleanup costs, that’s not always the case, according to officials.

“During emergency situations, we typically do not bill if the company is working in good faith to clean it up with us,” UDOT Region 4 communications manager Kevin Kitchen told Cedar City News.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jeff Richards, a native of Salt Lake City with family roots in Panguitch, lived in Moab for 20 years before joining St. George News in 2017. Jeff is a longtime journalist and secondary school teacher. He and his wife Penny are the parents of five daughters. They also have three young grandsons. Jeff and his family enjoy swimming, camping, sightseeing, reading, and taking pictures.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @stgnews@moabjeff@stgnewssports

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