Northland's State Highway 1 closed twice in one day

A fully loaded rubbish truck tipped over as it turned on to State Highway 1 from Port Marsden Highway, causing major delays to all traffic in the area. Photo/ John Stone

Northland's main arterial route was temporarily shut twice yesterday when a rubbish truck rolled then five hours later when a car slammed into a power pole causing lines to fall.

A bin on the back of a rubbish truck slipped off causing the unit and trailer to crash off State Highway 1, at the roundabout with SH15, about 10.30am. Fortunately there were no other vehicles involved and the driver escaped injury.

Sergeant Phil Halton, of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Team, said the rubbish truck and trailer would be thoroughly examined to see whether a mechanical fault may have contributed to the crash. It's believed the driver was on his way to the Northland Waste Centre on Rewarewa Rd when the crash happened.

Rubbish spilled from the bins and a digger was used to clear away the mess. A crane was used to right the truck and trailer unit before it was taken away for inspection.

Traffic started to back up as the road was closed while the crane was on site, but cleared when the road was reopened.

The state highway was again closed when a car hit a power pole near Hikurangi about 3pm. The lines were down but two people in the car were removed, one with moderate injuries and the other with minor.

Police, Ambulance and Northpower staff attended at crash near Hikurangi which resulted in a live power line being brought down, trapping the two motorists in their car.

Northpower's Steve Macmillan said 453 customers in Jordan Valley area of Hikurangi were without power but they hoped to have most back online by 4pm.

The pole was to be replaced. Traffic was diverted through Hikurangi's main street while linesmen worked to make the area safe.