Early morning commuters on I-696 near Warren experienced significant delays following a semi-truck crash that shut down traffic in both directions. As per a report by CBS News Detroit, the incident occurred around 3:40 a.m. when the 41-year-old driver from Houston, Texas, lost control of the vehicle, resulting in a collision with the concrete wall at Milton between Dequindre Road and Mound Road.
The crash led to a closure of all lanes of westbound I-696 at 11 Mile Road, with initial eastbound lanes remaining open near Dequindre Road; however, by 4:22 a.m., both directions were closed to traffic for cleanup operations, including a hazmat oil and gas spill. The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) communicated at about 5:15 a.m. that the cleanup was expected to last several hours, during which heavy traffic was anticipated across the area, especially taking into consideration the additional time needed to repair a damaged barrier wall.
According to FOX 2 Detroit, hazmat crews were onsite to manage a significant fuel spill, which involved both tanks from the truck estimated to contain about 300 gallons of fuel. The wall damage and heavy rain compounded on the morning's difficulties, impacting commuters and drawing attention to driving safety during inclement weather.
As the hours ticked by, some progress on reopening was reported; by 7 a.m., one eastbound lane was moving again. Still, the larger situation underscored a message by F/Lt. Mike Shaw, who told WXYZ, "Drivers need to remember when the weather gets bad, slow down," underscoring the fortune that no injuries were reported.
Traffic updates and travel advisories have continued to be issued by MDOT and were made available for drivers at the MI Drive site, facilitating detours around 11 Mile and I-75 for those needing to navigate through or around the affected segments of the I-696 freeway corridor. Stay informed with the most current information by visiting local traffic resources as the situation progresses into normalized flow.
