Errant Tank Knocks Out Road to Vegas

An errant Army tank, whose driver later disappeared, hit a pillar of an Interstate 15 freeway bridge and caused long traffic delays for Las Vegas-bound motorists Wednesday night, California Highway Patrol officers at Barstow reported.

“I guess he (the tank driver) just must have been out riding around in the tank after it was unloaded from a train and hit a pillar,” CHP dispatcher Antonio Gonzalez said. “Army officials out there at Ft. Irwin tell us they haven’t located him.”

A seven-mile stretch of the heavily traveled freeway from Harvard to Field roads was closed because of the weakened pillar after a conference with Caltrans officials, Gonzalez said. The diversion to an old highway that parallels the freeway begins 21 miles north of Barstow.

The bridge spans Manix Wash and the Army uses a nearby railroad siding to unload equipment, Gonzalez said.

Caltrans officials told the CHP that they would have to await daylight to determine the amount of damage and how long the freeway will be closed. CHP officers were fearful that the northbound lanes may not be opened by the weekend, “when the Las Vegas traffic really builds up there,” Gonzalez said.