Tag Archives: car accident

Local

Drive uninjured in Kirkland crash caused by bypassing I-405 construction barriers

[WBHG News 24 – Kirkland, WA] – The Washington State Patrol shared a picture of a vehicle that went around construction barriers on I-405 and drove into the ongoing roadworks at the Exit 18 bus terminal and highway interchange expansion project. No one was injured.

According to Washington State Patrol Trooper Rick Johnson, the driver of the Subaru SUV went around the construction barriers, continued southbound on the Exit 18 offramp, and drove into the construction area. The driver was not impaired, and Trooper Johnson alleged the driver said they “forgot” there was a road closure. It is unclear how they drove around the barriers.

The Washington State Department of Transportation, King County, and the City of Kirkland had previously announced that parts of Northeast 85th Street and the I-405, Northeast 85th Street Interchange would be closed from January 26 to 29 to demolish the off-ramp bridges at I-405 and Northeast 85th Street. A second set of closures is planned for February 2 to 5 to replace the existing infrastructure with new four-lane intersections.

The picture shows skid marks leading to the dropoff and a piece of construction equipment well below where the car stopped, suggesting the accident could have been more serious.

The most recent data from Washington state about construction zone accidents is from 2021, which posted a 10.8 percent increase over 2020, with accidents in interstate construction zones increasing by 15.4 percent. Both years had significantly reduced traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and work-from-home mandates. The biggest increases were among rear-ending accidents and crashes involving commercial vehicles, with fatal work zone accidents increasing by 18 percent. There was no data available on accidents caused by drivers who wilfully ignore road closures.

Local

Oops! I Did it Again! Second Truck Hits Kirkland Ave Bridge

Photo credit – social media user – Facebook

[KIRKLAND, Wash.] – MTN The Kirkland Avenue Cross Kirkland Corridor bridge was hit by a second truck just 4-1/2 hours after a semi-truck got stuck under the infamous structure.

At approximately 2:40 PM on Thursday, a westbound box truck struck the retired railroad bridge and became stuck. Prior to local residents hanging warning banners on the bridge, it was on track to “eat” 100 trucks in 2021. A truck hadn’t hit the bridge for 125 days, and it has been more than a year since “Truckbane” claimed two victims on the same day.

The first truck struck the bridge traveling eastbound and the second was traveling westbound.

The bridge is located at a complex intersection with limited visibility approaches from both sides. The city of Kirkland has done numerous studies and made several improvements in 2020 in an attempt to warn truck drivers about the low clearance structure. That effort included installing 12 signs, in addition to the two warning signs that already existed, and flashing lights.

A semi-truck from Oak Harbor Freight Lines stuck under the Cross Kirkland Corridor rails to trail bridge on Kirkland Ave

Solving the problem by replacing the bridge or reengineering the intersection is too expensive and complicated. The roadbed can’t be lowered because there is a water main, communications, and electrical infrastructure under the bridge. Additional flashing warning lights can’t be added due to the federal Department of Transportation regulations – the approach to the bridge is not long enough. A cable, bar, or chain warning can’t be used because there are sidewalks adjacent to the road. If a truck were to snap a cable or knock over the structure, it would be a hazard to pedestrians.

Local

Truckbane, Kirkland’s Infamous Truck Eating Bridge Feeds Again

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Photo credit – social media user – Facebook

[KIRKLAND, Wash.] – MTN The infamous truck-eating bridge on Kirkland Avenue claimed another victim on Wednesday morning when an overheight Oak Harbor Freight Lines semi-truck traveling west failed to clear the 11′ 6″ high structure.

At approximately 10:00 AM, the westbound truck hit the retired railroad bridge, which is now part of the rails to trails Cross Kirkland Corridor. It is the second time a truck has hit the bridge in June and the first westbound truck to strike the bridge in 125 days.

The bridge is located at a complex intersection with limited visibility approaches from both sides. The city of Kirkland has done numerous studies and made several improvements in 2020 in an attempt to warn truck drivers about the low clearance structure, to no avail.

Currently, there are more than a dozen signs and flashing warning lights on either side of the bridge.

In July 2021, local citizens made a banner declaring, “I Eat Trucks,” and strung it across the eastern side of the bridge. Two days later, residents in the area heard the squeal of brakes and expected it to be followed by the sounds of mangled metal, but there was no crash. The new banner was credited with its first save. A month later, the same group added a second banner after two bridge strikes occurred by westbound trucks.

A semi-truck from Oak Harbor Freight Lines stuck under the Cross Kirkland Corridor rails to trail bridge on Kirkland Ave

In 2021, the bridge was on pace to be struck over 100 times, but by August, it seemed the banners had solved the problem. The bridge was hit a few times over the last year, but this is the first month where “Truckbane” has been struck twice.

It is too expensive to replace the bridge with a higher structure for the Cross Kirkland Trail. The roadbed can’t be lowered because there is a water main, communications, and electrical infrastructure under the bridge. The city is restricted by Federal Department of Transportation rules on what they can and can’t do to raise truck driver awareness as they approach the structure. Additionally for eastbound trucks, it is approximately 1/4 mile from 85th Avenue to Truckbane, further limiting the location and quantity of DOT-approved warning devices. The city reported a cable overheight warning device couldn’t be used for the bridge approaches on the west or east side. If the cable were severed by a truck, it could strike pedestrians on the sidewalks that follow Kirkland Way.

Kirkland police have the intersection closed at press time and are awaiting a heavy-duty wrecker to extract the truck.

Local

Truckbane, Kirkland’s “truck eating bridge” claims another victim

Gallery

[KIRKLAND, Wash] – (MTN) Truckbane, the infamous “truck eating bridge” of Kirkland had a close encounter of the worst kind with an over-height Mayflower Movers box truck. The eastbound 12’6″ truck became firmly wedged under the 11’6″ overpass, leaving bits of aluminum on the pavement and a battered roof from above. No one was injured and no other vehicles were involved in the incident.

[Best_Wordpress_Gallery id=”57″ gal_title=”Truckbane July 13 2021″]

Around 6:30 PM, the truck embedded itself into the maw of the old railroad trestle, becoming the third vehicle to strike the bridge in less than two weeks. The truck was carrying cargo, but it appeared undamaged. The driver was rattled and didn’t want to make a statement.

A heavy-duty wrecker arrived about one hour after Truckbane fed, and pulled the prey from out of its gaping maw. The screech of metal echoed through the neighborhood as the box broke free.

On Saturday a group of citizens did a banner drop on the westbound side. It appears it may have saved a truck from being consumed by Truckbane on Monday morning. Some onlookers on the Cross Kirkland Corridor mused that the latest meal may not have happened if there was a second banner on the other side.

In December of 2020, the city added a dozen signs to warn drivers of the truck-eating bridge. The bridge’s location, architecture, and the traffic on Kirkland Way create a unique set of traffic engineering challenges.