Overturned oil drilling rig damages I-459, causes massive traffic delays

Traffic was moving again by 6:10 p.m. on Interstate 459 North in Hoover after a truck hauling an oil drilling rig overturned this afternoon at the ramp from Interstate 65, according to the Rocky Ridge Fire Department.

The wreck happened around 1:15 p.m., according to Hoover police. It clogged traffic not only on Interstate 459, but also John Hawkins Parkway, Valleydale Road, Caldwell Mill Road, Acton Road and U.S. 31 as motorists sought alternate routes.

The oil drilling rig caused damage to the inside lane of the interstate, said Rocky Ridge fire Chief Michael Bartlett. The Alabama Department of Transportation was on the scene and planned to put a metal plate over the damaged area and then come back to do repairs later, Bartlett said.

There were no injuries in the wreck, he said.