An excavator being hauled by a truck clipped the bottom edge of the Gulick Street overpass yesterday, sending debris onto the H-1 Freeway and prompting the closure of two westbound lanes for nearly three hours.

The overpass was inspected and found to have no structural damage, said state Transportation Department spokesman Scott Ishikawa. But the company involved, Henry's Equipment Rental, will have to foot the bill for repairs, he said. An estimate on repair cost was not available.

The incident happened about 7:52 a.m. No one was injured.

Ishikawa said the arm of the excavator hit the overpass because it was not lowered properly. The overpass is 14 1/2 feet high.

Ishikawa said the collision and another incident in September 2006, when a military rig hauling an excavator crashed into an 'Aiea overpass, illustrate the need for trucking companies to contact the state to get a permit when hauling big items. The military rig incident caused major damage to the overpass and resulted in one of Hawai'i's worst traffic jams.

Ishikawa said the permit process is more about education and making sure the driver is taking the best route. He said the trucking company in yesterday's incident likely needed a permit, but did not have one.

Yesterday's incident prompted police to close the two right-hand west-bound lanes of the freeway until about 10:40 a.m.