Pulling semis from Columbia River will shut down I-84W for hours, ODOT says

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Department of Transportation will shut down a portion of I-84 west for multiple hours Monday while it uses special equipment to recover the two semis that crashed into the Columbia River at nearly the exact same location Friday night, but at different times.

The westbound side of I-84 will be closed between Biggs Junction and Celilo near milepost 103 starting at 7 a.m. Westbound traffic will be diverted around the scene via Highway 30 and Highway 206. Drivers can also use Highway 97 to cross the river at Biggs Junction and use State Route 14 in Washington.

“The length of the closure will depend on the complexity of the recovery,” ODOT said.

Both drivers were able to escape their vehicles unharmed, the Sherman County Sheriff's Office said. The crashes remain under investigation by Oregon State Police, which has yet to release any information on the unusual series of events.

"Hours after a semi crashed into the Columbia River another semi crashed into the Columbia at the same location," the Sherman County Sheriff's Office said Saturday morning.

The separate crashes both occurred along the westbound side of I-84 between the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge and Miller Island. The first crash involved a Titan Freight Systems double trailer that plowed through a guardrail and dunked its undisclosed payload into the Columbia River. The driver successfully swam to shore following the crash, the Sherman County Sheriff's Office said. 

The second crash involved a twin tanker truck that was said to be empty at the time of the crash. Photos of the scene show the tanker truck’s cabin above the waterline following the crash. It’s unclear at this time how much diesel fuel the crashes spilled into the river.