'Substantial Progress' Made In Clearing I-5 In DuPont

DUPONT, WA - WSDOT has said that the the train bridge over I-5 near at the scene of the Amtrak derailment is structurally sound, a major hurdle to reopening the highway. The highway will remain closed through the Wednesday morning commute, however.

On Tuesday, crews removed most of the damaged rail cars from the scene, but removal of the 270,000 pound locomotive will take longer. As of about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, the locomotive was still in the process of being moved.

WSDOT has road and guardrail repair crews at the scene ready to work as soon as they are able.

Crews made substantial progress today in clearing the site. Most of the derailed train cars have been loaded onto semis to be hauled away and securely stored. Bridge engineers also inspected the rail bridge and deemed it structurally sound, with only minor repairs needed for safely reopening the interstate.

For the Wednesday commute, WSDOT recommends drivers take the SR 16/SR 3 detour through Gig Harbor and Shelton. The detour through Spanaway and Yelm has been significantly congested since the derailment on Monday.

Caption: Two damaged train cars are removed atop flatbed trailers from the scene of an Amtrak train crash onto Interstate 5 a day earlier as northbound traffic passes nearby Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2017, in DuPont, Wash. Federal investigators say they don't yet know why the train was traveling 50 mph over the speed limit when it derailed Monday, killing some people and injuring dozens.

Photo by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press