LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB/WAVE) — Tow truck drivers are staying busy at one of Louisville's most infamous trouble spots as the Interstate 65 closure sends more trucks onto alternate routes.
Suburban Towing said calls to the city's low-clearance "can opener" underpasses and 3rd Street and Winkler Avenue have skyrocketed since the interstate shutdown began, which is rerouting trucks onto unfamiliar roads.
Operations Manager Jim Knight said his company typically responds to four or five trucks getting stuck under the bridge each month. Since the I-65 closure started June 1, crews have responded to more than 30 crashes in the last month alone.
At one point, Louisville officials even asked Suburban Towing to keep a tow truck parked nearby so crews could respond as soon as another truck became wedged under the bridge.
Some crashes are quick jobs. Others can take hours.
"Some of them are doing 30 miles an hour and they get 30 feet inside it," Knight said. "So, at that point, everything — the landing gear that's normally a foot or 2 off the ground — is now dug into the ground, trailers broken at the fifth wheel, and you have to get that out without destroying the roadway."
Once a truck is freed, it's taken back to Suburban Towing's lot. If the trailer is carrying perishable goods, the cargo may have to be thrown away. Other shipments can be transferred to another trailer and continue on to their destination.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet said 29 warning signs were already posted near the overpasses prior to the closure. Three days into the construction, KYTC spokesperson Mindy Peterson announced that the department added to further signage to alert truck drivers to the low clearance.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media and WAVE. All Rights Reserved.
