UPDATE 10:30 a.m. Crews have reopened all northbound lanes of the SR 99 tunnel.
UPDATE 10:10 a.m. Southbound SR 99 has reopened, but all northbound lanes of the tunnel remain closed due to a collision, WSDOT said.
Traffic is being diverted at East Marginal Way and Alaskan Way.
Original: A rollover crash involving a Toyota Prius shut down the SR 99 tunnel in Seattle Friday morning, causing major traffic disruptions as thousands of soccer fans headed toward the stadium district.
The incident was first reported around 9:40 a.m., when Seattle police warned drivers that the northbound SR 99 tunnel was blocked after a Prius flipped over.
“The 99 NB tunnel is blocked because a driver flipped their Prius. Find alternate routes,” Seattle police said in a traffic alert.
About 10 minutes later, the Washington State Department of Transportation reported that the situation had expanded.
“UPDATE 1: Both directions of the SR 99 tunnel are closed due to a collision. Emergency crews and IRT are on scene. Crews are working to clear this as quickly and safely as possible,” WSDOT said.
Officials have not released information about injuries or what may have caused the crash.
The closure comes at a particularly busy time for downtown Seattle, with large crowds traveling toward the stadium district ahead of the World Cup match between the United States and Australia at Lumen Field.
Drivers attempting to reach downtown Seattle, the waterfront, or the stadium area should expect delays and seek alternate routes while crews work to clear the scene.
As of late Friday morning, there was no estimate for when the tunnel would reopen.
Puget Press will update this story as additional information becomes available.
