I-94 fully reopens after a semi crashes at Lowry tunnel

A semitrailer truck crashed late Friday morning at one end of the Lowry Hill tunnel in Minneapolis, halting traffic until late in the afternoon.

The crash occurred about 10:55 a.m. in the westbound lanes of Interstate 94 and left the semi on its side with some of the trailer in the eastbound lanes just outside the east end of the tunnel, said Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Mike Lee.

The east side of the tunnel reopened to traffic after about two hours. The westbound lanes were open to commuters shortly before 4:30 p.m.

The semi, hauling ammunition, “began to shift to the left and struck the center concrete median divider near the entrance” to the tunnel, Lee said.

The lieutenant said the ammunition involved in this particular crash is allowed to be transported through the tunnel, which has restrictions on various hazardous materials as cargo.

“There are exemptions outlined by the federal regulations that allow for this load to be transported through this area,” he said.

The driver, Bachitar Singh, 31, of Fremont, Calif., suffered injuries that were not life threatening, the lieutenant said. The semi, with an Indiana license plate, was the only vehicle involved in the crash.

Singh was wearing his seat belt, and impairment from drugs or alcohol did not appear to be a factor, Lee said. The investigation will seek to determine why Singh lost control of the semi.

About an hour after traffic came to a standstill, troopers rushed to the aid of a woman who was a passenger in a car who had a medical emergency on westbound I-94 near Lyndale Avenue, Lee said.

The passenger died at the scene despite the efforts of the troopers, and fire and ambulance personnel, the lieutenant said.