State Patrol: 35W Closes After Semi Accident In Bloomington
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Traffic on Interstate 35W was at a stand still Saturday afternoon after an accident involving a semi-truck.
The Minnesota State Patrol says a piece of construction equipment on the semi made contact with the 86th Street Bridge just before 1 p.m.
I-35W was initally closed in both directions between I-494 to 90th Street. The northbound lanes reopened at about 2:30 p.m. The southbound lanes reopened shortly after 7 p.m. The 86th Street Bridge will be closed indefinitely, according to MnDOT.
The Bloomington Fire Department says a gas main under the bridge was also struck, causing a gas leak that has since been secured. Centerpoint Energy shut down the gas main and no customers lost service.
The fire department did air checks and inspected some homes, but found no threat from the gas leak according to Bloomington Fire Chief Ulie Seal.
Seal also said this has happened a few times at the 86th Street Bridge, because people try to drive loads that are too high under a bridge that is too low.
The driver of the semi, 44-year-old Diyep Womack of Rolla, Missouri, was not injured.