An 18-wheeler got stuck on Monday trying to navigate the roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road in West Hartford.

Truck stuck after trying to navigate the roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road in West Hartford. Photo credit: Natalie Virkerman

By Ronni Newton

The driver of an 18-wheeler didn’t quite make it around West Hartford’s roundabout on Monday, ending up stuck in the mud in someone’s front lawn for several hours.

A confluence of factors led to what turned into quite the traffic mess on a rainy and foggy day, starting with a crash late Monday morning on North Main Street in the Bishops Corner area that led to traffic being diverted onto King Philip Drive, Town Manager Rick Ledwith told We-Ha.com.

Truck stuck after trying to navigate the roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road in West Hartford. Photo credit: Natalie Virkerman

The 18-wheeler was heading north on King Philip Drive around lunchtime Monday and rather than continuing north when it reached the roundabout at Old Meadow Road and turning left at Tumblebrook to get back to North Main Street, the driver decided to go three-quarters of the way around the roundabout to head west on Old Meadow Road to get back to North Main. The driver of the tractor-trailer appeared to attempt to hop the curb in order to navigate the tight circle, but that turned out to be an unsuccessful maneuver when the front wheels sunk deep into the mud of the yard at the northwest corner of the intersection.

Truck stuck after trying to navigate the roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road in West Hartford. Photo credit: Natalie Virkerman

According to Ledwith, an 18-wheeler is able to navigate 180 degrees of the roundabout to continue in the same direction on either King Philip Drive or Old Meadow Road.

West Hartford’s first roundabout was completed in mid-October, and has been a popular topic of discussion – tinged with plenty of sarcasm – on social media. Initially there were no barriers, and many drivers completely ignored the existence of the roundabout and drove right over it to continue straight or make 90-degree turns.

The roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road shortly after completion on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo credit: Ronni Newton

West Hartford town engineers have said the roundabout is purposely designed so the edges are flush with the roadway in order to accommodate use by school buses that need to drive over a bit of the edge. The town temporarily added barrels in the fall to keep traffic from driving through the middle of the roundabout, and a few weeks ago replaced the barrels with bollards as a more permanent barrier, although there is still room along the edges so buses can navigate without a problem.

There is also a camera in place to observe and monitor the operation of the roundabout. “We’re already looking at it,” Ledwith said.

It took about two hours before a large town truck was able to free the 18-wheeler from the mud.

Truck stuck after trying to navigate the roundabout at King Philip Drive and Old Meadow Road in West Hartford. Photo credit: Natalie Virkerman

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