All lanes on southbound Interstate 5 at South 320th Street in Federal Way are open to traffic, following an early morning collision that mostly closed the freeway until 9:45 a.m.
A double tanker truck crashed, caught fire and punctured a freeway sound wall at 2 a.m. Sunday. The blaze ignited a storage tanker on the other side of the wall. The tanker was fully loaded with gasoline.
The Washington State Patrol is investigating the cause. The tanker driver was killed. No other injuries were reported.
All lanes of southbound I-5 were closed until 7:50 a.m. One HOV lane opened at 7:50 a.m.
Washington State Patrol, WSDOT crews and nearly a dozen emergency response vehicles have been on the scene since the crash putting out the fire, closing lanes, managing traffic, checking the road surface and checking the sound walls. Three sound wall panels have been damaged and have been removed. Progress has been hampered by small pools of fuel that ignited after the collision and small crashes in the northbound lanes, as drivers looked at the collision.
Sunday morning traffic has been light but it is building. Drivers are advised to avoid the area or plan for short delays.
Drivers can track congestion in the area by checking the WSDOT traffic flow maps onSeattle traffic page.
