Road crews will close southbound Interstate 205 in Clark County two nights this week to continue cleanup efforts following a tractor-trailer crash Dec. 27.
The closures will be between the freeway’s split with Interstate 5 and the Salmon Creek interchange, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The first closure is set for 10 p.m.tonight and will last through an unspecified time Friday morning. All southbound lanes will be closed to traffic at the Interstate 5 split. Officials said the lanes should reopen in time for the morning commute.
Another identical closure is scheduled for Sunday night through Monday morning.
Drivers should watch for signs detouring them to southbound I-5. All lanes of southbound I-205 will remain open south of Salmon Creek, including the Northeast 134th Street onramp to southbound I-205.
The transportation department said it was using the nighttime closures to avoid traffic jams.
The semi tipped over on Interstate 205 late last week, stalling early morning traffic for miles. It crashed about 6:50 a.m. on the freeway near 20th Avenue and blocked a single lane of traffic, according to WSDOT.
It was the only vehicle involved, and the driver was reportedly OK, according to Fire District 6.
The driver was southbound when they went off the freeway to the right, striking a sign and trees, Washington State Patrol Trooper Will Finn said in an email. The driver veered hard to the left, overcorrecting. That caused the semi to turn around, Finn said.
The semi rolled onto its passenger side as it slid across the lanes and off the road to the left, striking a guardrail. It came to rest on the shoulder of the freeway on its passenger’s side facing north.
One southbound lane was closed from 6:45 to 9 a.m. for cleanup, fuel transfer and to secure the scene. Transportation officials said they planned to return to the scene around 10 p.m. and close the freeway for a final cleanup, but the crash proved to be more work than they expected. The vehicle was hauling about 40,000 items described as household goods.
