More repairs for dangerous I-405 expansion joint needed

Travis Phelps from Washington State Department of Transportation reveals I-405’s expansion joint problem Thursday morning will need further repair. Drivers should expect some delays.

“The Washington State Patrol alerted us to this problem this morning after drivers began driving on the shoulder to avoid the piece of metal that popped up. The crews went out and pulled the small expansion joint from the roadway but we’ll be back to do a more permeant fix during non-peak drive times.”

The expansion joint popped up in the northbound HOV bypass lanes above I-90. KIRO 7 reports that five vehicles had to pull over with flat tires after driving over the piece of metal.

After seeing the pictures, you might think a deadly scenario from “Final Destination” popped up, but WSDOT describes this particular expansion joint as a “small” piece of metal compared to other road expansion joints.

“All the bridges are inspected every two years and over 12,000 cars per day travel on this particular 405 HOV lane,  so this expansion joint damage was likely caused by wear and tear,” Phelps reassures drivers.

NB 405 HOV bypass at I-90 is blocked. Per viewer, “expansion joint sticking 1 foot up in air, 5+ cars have flats”. pic.twitter.com/HQkApY5CAr

— Alexis Smith (@AlexisKIRO7) May 5, 2016

The Washington State Department of Transportation made quick work of the problem. It wasn’t long before the lane was reopened.

Thx to maintenance crews for quick & precise work to repair an expansion joint that popped up on NB405. HOV open! pic.twitter.com/n5OKk6qwqM

— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) May 5, 2016

The combination of the expansion joint problem, previous crashes along I-405, and the viaduct closure caused significant slowing, KIRO Radio’s Chris Sullivan reports.

“The delays are monstrous,” Sullivan said.

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