Dump truck hits Route 78 overpass

SUMMIT — A dump truck struck an overpass on Route 78 at the start of the Thursday morning commute.

All eastbound lanes were closed with traffic getting by on the shoulder as of 6 a.m. between exit 44 in Berkeley Heights and exit 45 for Glenside Avenue in Summit, after the dump truck struck the Glenside Avenue overpass. All lanes were reopened by 7:40 a.m.

Video from the scene shows sand in the roadway, indicating a fluid spill.

State Police spokesman Trooper Alejandro Goez said the truck 's bed was in the up position when it struck the overpass. Driver Reginald Green, 43, of Newark was hospitalized for minor injuries. No other vehicles were involved in the crash.

The incident remains under investigation and no charges have yet been filed, according to Goez.

Goez said a Department of Transportation work crew working on a paving project was not injured by the crash.

"A structural engineer took a look. There is no significant damage reported so there's no major repairs" after the truck struck the first I-beam, according to DOT spokesman Dan Triana. He said further inspection from the ground will continue on Thursday afternoon to make sure nothing was overlooked.

Route 22 picked up extra volume through Scotch Plains with commuters trying to avoid the closure.

It would be the second incident involving a dump truck to impact the morning commute in Central Jersey in two days. A truck overturned on Route 440 between the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway on Wednesday morning, spilling its load of pavement sand and creating delays on Route 287 as well as exiting delays from the Turnpike and Parkway.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com.

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