BE AWARE! I-5 Southbound Closed Due to Rollover Accident

Traffic is in a diversion at mile point 180.5 while construction crews rebuild an I-5 bridge.

Salem-News.com

(CRESWELL) - A semi truck wreck on Interstate 5 southbound about 1.5 miles south of Creswell will keep the freeway closed until approximately 3:00 PM Monday.

The truck, hauling a trailer filled with about 30 tons of almonds, crashed into a concrete construction barrier at about 8:30 AM Monday.

The trailer came to rest on its side, blocking both lanes of the interstate at mile point 180.5.

An Oregon Department of Transportation incident responder, near the scene on another call, arrived within minutes of the crash and deployed absorbent booms to contain about 300 gallons of diesel that spilled from the truck’s fuel tank, which was ripped from the vehicle.

By containing the spill quickly, ODOT incident response member Mark Allain was able to keep the contamination from reaching a nearby waterway.

Other ODOT personnel set up a detour that takes traffic off of I-5 south at the Creswell exit (mile point 182), routes motorists south on Highway 99, and then puts vehicles back on the freeway at the Saginaw interchange.

The detour will remain in effect until the truck and trailer are removed, and the absorbent material applied to contain the diesel is swept from the roadway.

This incident marks the third crash on I-5 south near Creswell in the past 10 days.

The posted speed limit in this area has been reduced to 55 mph, from 65 mph.

ODOT asks drivers to slow down in this area to prevent further crashes.