Truck Nearly Drives Off Alaskan Way Viaduct, Snarls Traffic

SEATTLE, WA - A box truck crashed through a barrier along the Alaskan Way Viaduct Thursday afternoon and was partially hanging over the edge. The crash in the southbound lanes slowed traffic and prompted the city to send out an emergency text message warning of the "major traffic disruption."

Around 2:30 p.m., officials were preparing to close all southbound lanes to allow a tow truck to remove the wrecked vehicle. The southbound lanes reopened around 3:30 p.m., but the far left lane had to be closed to repair barriers.

Major blocking crashes along the Alaskan Way Viaduct have caused catastrophic delays in the past. In March 2015, an overturned truck hauling salmon closed SR 99 and the viaduct for 9 hours. In April 2016, a wrecked truck hauling frozen seafood closed the viaduct for about four hours.

The viaduct will be torn down beginning in early 2019, according to the WSDOT.

Image courtesy Seattle fire