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PHOTO BY BRUCE ASATO / BASATO@STARADVERTISER.COM
An Ameron Hawaii cement truck crashed through a steel plate over a trench, its rear wheels stuck in the trench and unable to get out on its own. Large tow trucks were called to the scene on Dillingham Boulevard to help to extricate the truck.
The last of four Dillingham Boulevard were reopened between Waiakamilo Road and Kohou Street about 7:45 p.m. Friday after work on a gas line that ruptured.
A cement truck tipped on its side and onto a metal plate and collapsed under its weight around 11 a.m. on Coburn Street, city spokeswoman Louise Kim McCoy said.
That apparently caused the gas line below to rupture.
The truck is still in the hole, and it will take about an hour for The Gas Co. workers to repair the one-inch line once the truck is removed, said Stephanie Ackerman, Gas Co. spokeswoman.
City officials are urging motorists to avoid the area if possible.
Ackerman said The Gas Co. shut off gas to three businesses, including the Chuck E. Cheese at City Square. The satellite city hall and motor vehicle licensing office were not affected, city officials said.
The metal plate was placed by a private contractor working on a private construction project, McCoy said.
