SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES
Seattle transportation director says SR 99 crash was handled well
Mar 26, 2015, 2:10 PM | Updated: Apr 13, 2015, 2:34 pm
After a tipped semi blocked SR 99 and jammed downtown Seattle roadways Tuesday, KIRO Radio's Dori Monson spoke with SDOT Director Scott Kubly about Seattle's transportation issues. (Photo courtesy of the Seattle Department of Transportation)
(Photo courtesy of the Seattle Department of Transportation)
The semi-truck crash that closed SR 99 and the Alaskan Way Viaduct for nine hours and crippled traffic in downtown Seattle was handled well by responders, the Seattle Department of Transportation told The Dori Monson Show.
“I think, yeah, absolutely,” director Scott Kubly said. Tuesday’s incident shows the department do a good job of incident response. “We had to balance with the need to move quickly and being responsible and safe.”
The truck that tipped at approximately 2:20 p.m. was filled with frozen fish.
The incident that blocked traffic for nine hours was criticized. The Seattle Police Department even announced it was “regretful” for how long the response took, Dori told Kubly.
Related: Why it took 9 hours to clean up overturned truck on Hwy 99 in Seattle
“I think in any event there is always room for improvement,” Kubly responded.
The container, Kubly said, was in danger of breaking, which would have made for a potentially longer clean-up process. If fish had spread onto the roadway, crews would have had to clean up the fish, and spray off any oil.
“I put a lot of faith and trust in the people doing the job,” Kubly added.
Listen to the full interview with SDOT director
