Update: SR 16 eastbound in Gig Harbor reopens after DUI crash, hazmat response
A suspected DUI driver crashed into a construction zone, leaving all eastbound state Route 16 lanes to close in Gig Harbor on Thursday morning.
Just before 12:45 a.m. near the Narrows Bridge toll plaza a car entered the work zone and struck construction vehicles and equipment that has a radioactive core, Washington State Patrol Trooper John Dattilo wrote on X.
The driver was a 22-year-old man, Dattilo told The News Tribune.
Dattilo said the device that was hit is used to measure the density of asphalt so that it meets safety standards. The work zone was in place for paving, and the instrument was in use so that the new lane would be safe for drivers.
No construction workers were injured. The driver was arrested for DUI and taken to a local hospital. That person also was uninjured.
There’s no danger to the public, Dattilo said. Eastbound SR 16 is closed for hazmat response.
Drivers are being diverted to Olympic Drive and can reenter at the on-ramp near the toll plaza to access the Narrows Bridge.
Eastbound traffic was backed up nearly to Borgen Boulevard as of 7:30 a.m.
7:45 a.m. update: Hazmat crews have decontaminated the area, according to Gig Harbor Fire on X.
The road will re-open in about 30 minutes.
8 a.m. update: The roadway has reopened, Dattilo said.
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 7:35 AM.
