A semi truck caught on fire after striking a light pole on I-405 through Bellevue at the start of the early Friday morning commute.
A semi truck caught on fire after striking a light pole on I-405 through Bellevue at the start of the early Friday morning commute. All northbound lanes are shut down, and two southbound lanes are closed.
“A semi was traveling northbound and went out of control, jackknifed, struck a light pole which fell into the southbound lanes,” Trooper Rick Johnson said. “The semi cab caught on fire. The driver is OK, he was able to get out.”
The driver has been treated for minor injuries.
“The semi was essentially going too fast for the wet roadways,” he said. “…. Of course wet roadways are more slick than dry roads. We’re getting to that time of year to slow down…”
The incident happened shortly before 4 a.m. Crews are working to clear the scene located between 4th and 8th Streets. While the semi truck jackknifed in the northbound lanes, the light pole crashed down into the southbound lanes of the freeway.
Six other vehicles were struck in the southbound lanes by the light pole and other debris from the crash. No injuries were reported.
Trooper Johnson said that “the surface roads in Bellevue are going to be taking the brunt of this.” Traffic is being diverted to collector-distributor lanes around 4th and 8th Streets. WSDOT recommends that commuters use other routes, or even work from home.
Congestion had grown to a four mile backup by 6:20 a.m. Traffic delays are expected to radiate out from I-405.
“…that is expected to grow as we continue on into the morning commute,” said Marqise Allen with WSDOT. “… just avoid the area. If you can delay the start of your day, work from home, use alternate routes. Do whatever you can this morning to mix up your commute if you rely on 405. There is going to be quite a bit of congestion out there.”
“This is really going to have region-wide impacts,” he said, noting that I-5, I-90 and other connecting routes are expected to backup as a result, too.
Pic of the engine from the semi. The cab completely burned up. pic.twitter.com/5ICdQesjee
— Trooper Rick Johnson (@wspd2pio) October 26,2018
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
