Jean Konsbruck, mayor of Saeul, had much to say on the matter when questioned by our colleagues at RTL 5Minutes.
The exceptional load, which has been en route from Antwerp to Colmar-Berg for a fortnight, is “just too long!”, according to a frustrated Konsbruck. Indeed, the transporter truck is some 38 metres long and weighs around 148 tons.
The blockage in Saeul began when the truck attempted to traverse the village, which lies within a stone’s throw of the Belgian border. The truck initially struggled with a bend in the road by the village town hall, before coming to a halt at the intersection between the N8 and the N12 in the town centre. As the driver attempted to navigate a turn, the trailer of the truck struck a tree and remained firmly stuck until the tree was felled.
The trailer suffered damage in the collision, meaning the whole transport was stuck and could not reach the necessary steering angles in order to turn, said Frédéric Jourdan, head of the Schaack breakdown service.
Mayor Konsbruck described the incident as a “catastrophe”, after the collision triggered immense traffic jams in the midst of rush hour. Both the N8 and N12 experience traffic amounting to around 3 million cars per year, the mayor added.
As of Thursday afternoon, the immense truck was still stuck on the N8 at the village’s exit. However, on Thursday morning, the mayor had received confirmation from the Ministry of Mobility that the truck had received authorisation to continue its journey.
