Update: Merging RV caused crash that shut down Wisconsin/Iowa Bridge

A recreational vehicle that failed to yield upon entering a highway caused a crash that disrupted traffic for three hours Tuesday on the U.S. 61/151 bridge in Dubuque. An RV driven by 67-year-old Leslie Gast of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., entered U.S. 61/151 at approximately 3:08 p.m. Tuesday from the 16th Street entrance ramp. According to Dubuque police, Gast’s merging vehicle collided with a semi-tractor trailer operated by 50-year-old Charles White of Belle Plaine, Iowa. White’s semi then collided with a guard rail. Striking the guard rail caused a side fuel tank on White’s semi to split, resulting in a spill of 135 gallons of diesel fuel. There were no injuries. The police report states that White’s semi sustained $75,000 damage and Gast’s RV $20,000 in damage. Dubuque firefighters were on the scene for three hours, using materials to absorb the spilled fuel. Units cleared the scene at 6:18 p.m. Gast was cited with failure to obey a yield sign. Following the accident, a bridge inspection has been ordered. The entrance ramp from Kerper Blvd. to U.S. Highways 61/151 was closed today and there will be lane reductions on the southbound lanes of Highway 61/151 near the Kerper Blvd. exit on Thursday and Friday.