Traffic & Transit
Express Lanes Reopen After Lengthy Closure
A fiery crash Friday morning closed the express lanes for hours, snarling the morning commute.
SEATTLE, WA -- Interstate 5's express lanes reopened late Friday morning after a wild semi-truck fire severely disrupted the morning commute. Flames annihilated the truck's cab in the lower southbound lanes near Mercer Street just before 6 a.m. The fire melted signs in the structure, and a guardrail was partially broken, but an initial investigation did not find serious damage.
#Seattle: A semi truck is on fire after a collision this morning. It's blocking all lanes of the southbound I-5 express lanes at Mercer Street. Expect delays and use alternate routes. pic.twitter.com/8mSYLSyfGs
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) October 4, 2019
Fortunately, the driver is uninjured. Photos shared on social media showed the truck reduced to rubble.
Update on the collision. It is a one semi crash, non injury collision. It is blocking all of the SB Express lanes at Mercer st. Traffic is being diverted to Mercer. The express lanes will be closed through the mornin commute. pic.twitter.com/w5RZdvBkAK
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) October 4, 2019
The express lanes were closed for at least five hours while WSDOT confirmed that heat from the fire did not damage the structure's integrity. Residual delays this morning pushed travel times more than an hour above normal. At one point, WSDOT said it took drivers more than two hours to drive from Everett to Seattle.
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This is what is left of the semi cab. Gary’s Westside Tow Company in the process of loading it onto a flatbed. #WorkingHard to clear this up ! pic.twitter.com/3pdkkpOPYS
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) October 4, 2019
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