Back-to-back crashes on I-5 cause long commute times in Tacoma

UPDATE: I-5 reopened in both directions just after 7 a.m. Wednesday.

Drivers in and around Tacoma will need to plan a lot of extra time to get to work Wednesday morning.  A semi truck crashed near SR-16 just after 3:30 in the morning, blocking all northbound lanes and two southbound lanes of I-5.

According to Washington State Patrol, the crash happened when a semi was driving too fast for rainy conditions on I-5 South and crashed into the concrete jersey barriers that separate northbound and southbound lanes.

The impact pushed the barriers into oncoming traffic on I-5 North, forcing one vehicle to land on top of the barriers and causing a domino effect that involved two other vehicles. There were four total vehicles involved in the crash.

The semi driver was cited for speeding too fast for conditions and negligent driving.

This is the same spot where another semi truck crashed ahead of the morning commute just days ago.



WSP Trooper Johnna Batiste tweeted that barrier damage caused a second crash before the first was even cleared away.



WSDOT says more than a dozen of the jersey barriers between the two sides of the highway are damaged, and will need to be replaced.  Crews will also have to clean up a fuel spill before drivers can get back to normal.  The process is expected to take hours.

Q13 News has a crew on scene, and Adam Gehrke has live updates on Q13 News This Morning showing you how to get around the gridlock.