Kent police are investigating the incident that caused a footbridge over the M20 motorway to collapse over the weekend, causing huge bank holiday weekend traffic jams.
At lunchtime on Saturday, a digger being transported on the back of a heavy goods vehicle hit the bridge on the London-bound carriageway between Junctions 4 and 3.
Part of the bridge fell onto another lorry. The section of bridge covering the other carriageway remained in place.
Kent Police’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit are carrying out enquiries into the collision, which appears to have happened because the overall height of the lorry transporting the digger was greater than the standard 5.1 metre clearance of UK motorway bridges.
The motorway reopened on Sunday after the debris was removed from the carriageway, which a Highways England spokesman said had suffered only minimal damage.
Highways England said it had carried out ‘robust inspections’ of the remaining elevated section of the footbridge, which showed the structure to be safe.
It will be removed ‘in the coming weeks’. In the meantime a 50mph limit will remain in place in the area on both carriageways.
Luckily there were no fatalities. Kent Police said the driver of the second lorry was treated for shock at the scene, while a motorcyclist who fell from his bike was taken to hospital with injuries, not believed to be serious.
Kent Police have confirmed there have been no arrests as a result of the incident yet.
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