Traffic on southbound Interstate 205 and Interstate 5 backed up for miles due to a major crash in Portland on Interstate 205. Although the closed lanes on I-205 have reopened, traffic remained a mess throughout the morning.
The Portland Police Bureau said in a 6:30 a.m. tweet that its major crash team had been activated for a wreck on southbound I-205 at Northeast Prescott Street. The post said “at least two lanes” had been closed. All travel lanes of I-205 reopened shortly after 9 a.m.
According to Portland police, a victim had been taken to the hospital with serious injuries. Police said no citations have been issued. According to the Oregonian, Portland police spokesman Lt. Brad Yakots said the crash involved a bicyclist and a vehicle.
The crash had a lasting impact on the morning commute.
Maps showed stop-and-go traffic for drivers on highways 14 and 500 in Vancouver as they approached both freeways. The line of cars on southbound Interstate 5 reached Salmon Creek as of 9 a.m. On I-205 southbound, traffic was slow or stopped as far north as Barberton.
The backups on the freeways snarled traffic in downtown Vancouver and created a back up on Fort Vancouver Way near Clark College.
Vine buses have been caught in the back up and ran late. C-Tran has dropped some departures because of traffic. Check the website for specifics.
Fourth Plain and Mill Plain boulevards also backed up near the freeways.
By noon, most of the slowdowns on I-205 into Portland had cleared but I-5 southbound continued to have slow traffic as far north as state Highway 500. Highway 14 into downtown was also still backed up.
More collisions
About 9 a.m. a collision on I-5 northbound near Evergreen Boulevard left a jackknifed tractor-trailer blocking the left and center lanes just south of the Mill Plain exit. The Washington State Patrol advised caution in the area. There was no word on injuries. The crash backup up northbound traffic onto the freeway within minutes. It was cleared about 9:30 a.m.
WSDOT reported a collision on state Highway 14 westbound near 164th Avenue about 10:30 a.m. The crash blocked both lanes for emergency vehicle access. It took almost two hours for the crash to be cleared. Traffic in the area remained snarled around noon.
This story will be updated.
Source: https://www.columbian.com
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