I-5 closed for hours after truck loses load of huge steel tubes
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TACOMA, Wash. -- Interstate 5 in Tacoma was closed for hours overnight after two huge steel tubes fell off a truck and destroyed the cement barrier in the middle of the freeway.
Officials said the truck was heading to Seattle from Vancouver when a strap holding the two 20,000-pound drill casings broke late Wednesday, sending the tubes crashing across the northbound lanes near State Route 16.
"It's pretty amazing that no one was hit, even at 10 p.m. when this happened," said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Rick Smith. "A couple of cars rolled through the debris... but other than that, nobody was hurt."
The heavy steel tubes caused significant damage to the Jersey barriers that were hit, and Department of Transportation crews had to shut down both directions of I-5 while they replaced 10 sections of the barrier.
All lanes were reopened just after 5 a.m.
The truck driver was cited for failing to secure a load, and crews hoisted the tubes onto another truck.
Officials said the truck was heading to Seattle from Vancouver when a strap holding the two 20,000-pound drill casings broke late Wednesday, sending the tubes crashing across the northbound lanes near State Route 16.
"It's pretty amazing that no one was hit, even at 10 p.m. when this happened," said Washington State Patrol Sgt. Rick Smith. "A couple of cars rolled through the debris... but other than that, nobody was hurt."
The heavy steel tubes caused significant damage to the Jersey barriers that were hit, and Department of Transportation crews had to shut down both directions of I-5 while they replaced 10 sections of the barrier.
All lanes were reopened just after 5 a.m.
The truck driver was cited for failing to secure a load, and crews hoisted the tubes onto another truck.
