I-5’s rolled-over cement driver cited for negligence hours before company pours on I-5 project

Months after Teamsters Local 174’s concrete driver strike ended, some of the suppliers are continuing to use non-union drivers, and the Teamsters claim that is causing trucks to tip over and crash.

Employers deny claims of collusion, price-fixing as Seattle-area concrete strike nears fifth month

Friday morning, a cement truck rolled over on northbound Interstate 5 just north of the Ship Canal Bridge, spilling several yards of concrete into I-5 and closing all northbound lanes for nearly four hours. That driver was cited for negligent driving, according to Washington State Patrol.

NB I-5 just north of SR 520 fully blocked after concrete truck rolls over

The owner of the truck, Ready Mix Delivery, has been contracted to supply an I-5 project: replacing existing bridge rail and curbs with new traffic barriers in a nearly $16 million contract.

The concrete pours associated with the project were originally scheduled to start Saturday morning and last 18 hours, involving 600 cubic yards of concrete, according to the Teamsters. Ready Mix Delivery will be down a truck after Friday’s accident.

“I don’t know how they’re going to do that job without breaking the law,” a shop steward for Cadman-Lehigh Hanson told MyNorthwest.

The shop steward pointed to a lack of experience among Ready Mix Delivery’s drivers. The inertia involved in driving concrete can make sharp turns at high speeds especially challenging, and that shop steward believes that to be a contributing factor in Friday’s overturned cement truck.

Ready Mix Delivery acknowledges the mistake made Friday that caused the shutdown on the interstate.

“Well, it’s a big [expletive] mess, and we’re cleaning it up,” the owner of the company, Joshua Gribble, told MyNorthwest.

Gribble could not confirm the extent to which Friday’s accident will affect their work on I-5.

“We expect all of our contractors to meet high standards … We haven’t heard from the contractor, and don’t believe this will cause any delays to work this weekend,” Tom Pearce, WSDOT spokesperson, told KIRO Newsradio.

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