ROYAL OAK, Mich. – Ignoring construction barrels, caution tape, and road closure signs, a delivery driver drove right through freshly laid cement in Royal Oak, causing some frustration.
After digging up the roadway to replace water mains, contractors were working to lay down a new street at the intersection of East 6th and Knowles streets near Downtown Royal Oak. The wet intersection was closed off to traffic with orange construction barrels lined with caution tape, and barricades indicating the road was closed.
But a UPS driver somehow got between the barrels and decided to continue driving, despite crew members yelling and telling him not to. The delivery truck driver made a turn, and the vehicle’s tires sank deep into the freshly poured concrete. You can see the damage in the video report down below.
“From what I understand, the UPS driver got between the barrels, and he [saw] the concrete that is white and thought it was cured, and drove through it,” said Fred Meram of F.D.M. Contracting, who is in charge of the project. “As he got into the cement, the truck kind of sank down in there.
“... I mean, this does happen every now and then. People don’t pay attention ... they just think they can get through.”
Construction crews have been set back by the incident and will have to repair the new roadway. UPS is reportedly paying for the repairs.
See Shawn Ley’s full report below.