Semi-trailer truck spills steel beams after hitting Lake Avenue bridge on Edens Expressway

Two people were injured when a semi-trailer truck hauling steel beams hit the underside of the Lake Avenue bridge over the Edens Expressway near Wilmette on Thursday evening.

Illinois State Police said the truck was headed south on the Edens when it hit a girder on the underside of the bridge around 5:20 p.m., spilling part of its load of steel beams, damaging multiple cars.

Two people who were injured were taken to the hospital, but their conditions were not immediately available. 

Police said two northbound lanes and two southbound lanes of the Edens Expressway were blocked after the crash. The Lake Avenue bridge was closed in both directions while Illinois Department of Transportation crews inspected it to make sure it was safe to reopen to traffic.