A tractor-trailer rollover accident, unknown injuries, is reported at Oak and Main streets in the City of Batavia. City fire and Mercy medics are responding.
UPDATE 1:59 p.m.: A responder reports a saddle tank on the vehicle is leaking.
UPDATE 2:03 p.m.: The third platoon is asked to report to city fire headquarters.
UPDATE 2:18 p.m.: A source at the scene said the tractor-trailer was hauling "wheat middlings" -- a by-product of flour production -- to a Baskin plant in Bethany to be processed into livestock feed.
UPDATE 2:31 p.m.: The first platoon is requested to report to fire headquarters.
UPDATE 3 p.m.: City Fire Chief Jim Maxwell said motorists should avoid the area for the next couple of hours. He said it will probably be 5 or 6 o'clock before they can get the vehicle uprighted and removed, along with the debris. Rush hour is still ahead and the crash is impacting traffic on routes 98/63/33. No injuries reported, nor were other vehicles involved, Maxwell said. The tractor-trailer was southbound on Route 98 and was turning eastbound on Main Street when either the load shifted or a mechanical problem occured and the whole thing went sideways. Besides the mess of crushed wheat and traffic, firefighters had a couple of saddle tanks leaking fuel. They were able to contain the spill and prevent it from going down into the storm drain, Maxwell said.
That whole area sees a ton of
That whole area sees a ton of truck traffic and it's poorly designed for the volume. I've been behind tractor trailer trucks trying to negotiate the roundabout where S. Main, Pearl, and Oak come together and the size of the circle causes them to drag their rear wheels up onto the bricks that form the center of the circle causing the trailers to tip alarmingly. Another great job by the NYS DOT that makes me sit through two or three light changes at Ellicott and Liberty so they could have a bike lane on Ellicott street.
this didnt happen at the
this didnt happen at the roundabout don but i know what you mean.....i commented a few months back about all the truck traffic through batavia and i was criticized by a couple people on here for it. all i can say now is ...i told you so.....the only reason we have all this truck traffic is because they dont want to pay the tolls.....either make them use the thruway or build an alternate truck route around the city. dont wait for something more serious to happen.
Jeff when I lived in Ithaca
Jeff when I lived in Ithaca they had the same problem, plus we had extra trucks of garbage going to the landfill up near the thruway at Seneca Falls from NYC and NJ for the same reason, to avoid tolls. One thing that reduced it significantly and added revenue to the city was putting an inspection point at either end of Ithaca's routes and checking logs, weights and such. the fines they generated were a goldmine to the municipality and after a couple of months, they shifted to other routes.
However from one of the reports I saw/heard, this grain was on it's way to Bethany to be processed into livestock feed, so it might have come from the thruway or could have an still had the same accident in the same spot. Just wanted to throw that out there.
inspection points is a great
inspection points is a great idea!!
"inspection points is a great
"inspection points is a great idea!!"
So you're going to allow some of your property to be taken by the DOT to accommodate the inspection area, right?
FYI, inspection stations for tractor trailers are not just for checking log books. They do a very extensive inspection of everything, axle weights, tires, lights, log book, driver condition, i.e. under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, fatigue, etc., valid HUT tag, and other permits, and the list goes on and on. Some of those inspections can take up to an hour, and for someone paid by the mile, that can cut into available drive time as they are required to log themselves as on duty not driving for the inspection.
If you want to close Batavia off from tractor trailer traffic, go right ahead.
When the employees of Tops, Wal*Mart, Oatka Milk, and all other industries in Batavia who utilize the trucking industry for shipping and receiving of goods, come pounding on your door because they are out of work, think back to how good your life is without the truck traffic.
Whether the drivers are avoiding thruway tolls or not, the fact is there are not always to blame for everything that happens on the roads.
I've told you before, more than once I'm sure, there is nothing that you don't use on a daily basis that at some point was in the trailer hauled by a truck.
Raymond, yes you are right
Raymond, yes you are right about inspections stations. How ever you don't need to have inspections stations as they have portable equipment that allow them to do all of these things without needing a station. It can be done at the roadside. That is the reason I said inspection points, not stations.
Also they can be selective as well, asking destination and or where the delivery is going, taking just a couple of minutes as a courtesy for "local commercial traffic". I know from experience that it doesn't take long for word to get out that certain routes aren't convienient because of these "checks" which will discourage the type of driver that they look for to avoid our area.
In the 20 yrs I lived and worked in Ithaca it never made much of an impact in local deliveries at all. We aren't trying to get all trucks off of Batavia's roads but, we can thin out the high risk and shortcut takers that tend to put personal gain over public safety.
I'm all for inspection points
I'm all for inspection points....im sure it would not put tops or walmart or anyone else out of business....and i'm pretty sure i wouldnt have to donate any of my property for this to happen....what a joke
In all fairness the truck
In all fairness the truck traffic through Batavia isn't just drivers taking a "shortcut". I agree that saving the exorbitant fees charged on the Thruway plays a big role here but let's not forget there are FOUR state routes that run through the city of Batavia and all four of them are designated "truck routes".
if they are designated truck
if they are designated truck routes then they never should have turned 2 of those routes from 4 lanes into 2 lane highways....this has been my gripe the whole time