Why did it take 8 hours to clear rolled-over truck crash and reopen I-5 in downtown Seattle?

SEATTLE -- The Washington State Department of Transportation said Monday it about 8 hours Monday to clear a rolled-over truck crash on I-5 because of the truck's contents.

"The situation's a little bit touch-and-go," WSDOT spokesman Marqise Allen said Monday afternoon, more than hour before the truck was righted on I-5. "It's not carrying a cement truck, we're dealing with propane here. So we have folks, as far as HazMat crews, pumping some of the propane off that truck so we can get tow trucks in and lift it upright.

"Since it's a delicate, meticulous process, that's what's taken the situation longer today," Allen said.



The semi-truck rolled on a southbound lane that feeds into Interstate 5 just after 10 a.m. Monday. The driver of the truck suffered minor injuries. Officials closed the freeway between Interstate 90 and the West Seattle bridge. They also closed I-90 at the stadiums.

Thousands of drivers were stuck on I-5 for hours.



A Seattle Fire Department hazardous materials team was overseeing the transfer of fuel from the rolled truck to another tanker truck Monday afternoon.