PORTLAND, Ore. — A crash involving a semi-truck closed a 16-mile stretch of westbound Interstate 84 through the Columbia River Gorge late Friday morning, west of Cascade Locks. All westbound traffic was detoured across the Bridge of the Gods and onto State Route 14.
The crashed involved a semi-truck carrying a load of corn that partially spilled onto the freeway, according to photos posted by the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, all westbound lanes were back open between Cascade Locks and Bridal Veil as of 4:30 p.m., although one lane remained closed near the crash site itself. Drivers were still warned to expect delays and leave room for emergency crews at the accident scene, and the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office continued to urge drivers to delay travel through the area if possible until Friday evening.
MCSO said heavy-duty tow trucks were brought in to the crash site near Bridal Veil to remove two semis, but didn't clarify if the second semi was also involved in the crash. The sheriff's office said Corbett Fire crews extracted the injured driver from the corn-hauling truck. He was flown to a hospital in Portland, MCSO said, but didn't offer any further information about his condition.
The closure was first reported on TripCheck at 11:20 a.m., and a subsequent tweet from the MCSO described the incident as a major crash near Bridal Veil.
The incident caused heavy backups for the westbound traffic that was apparently already on the freeway between Cascade Locks and Multnomah Falls before the detour was announced. TripCheck showed heavy westbound traffic near Multnomah Falls at around 11:45 a.m., and a traffic camera at the Falls parking lot showed gridlocked traffic on the westbound side of the freeway.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.