I-5 Express Lanes Reopen After Semi Crash

SEATTLE, WA — Seattle transportation crews worked into the early evening to safely retrieve a semi-truck that left the southbound Interstate 5 express lanes and dangled off the roadway near Mercer Street on Wednesday morning.

According to Seattle Fire, the truck's driver was able to free himself from the vehicle and was taken to the hospital with minor injuries. Video posted on social media showed tow trucks working to pull the tractor-trailer back onto the roadway as city transportation crews worked to secure a fuel leak.

The express lanes were fully closed in the area as crews recovered the truck, along with the northbound Mercer Street on-ramp and the southbound off-ramp. Crews were able to get the trailer back on the roadway around 2:15 p.m. and began work on the cab.

WSDOT said its bridge maintenance team found no evidence of structural damage, apart from a few overhead scrapes and a guardrail that will need replacement. The ramps reopened just before 5 p.m., and the express lanes reopened northbound around 6 p.m.