At around 11:30 a.m. yesterday morning, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to a single-vehicle crash involving a semi-truck on I-40 East at the I-640 split near Asheville Highway.
The semi-truck was traveling east on I-40 near the exchange when the driver reported that another vehicle had cut it off. The semi-truck then veered into the guard rail in an attempt to avoid a collision. The truck went through the guard rail and a utility pole and continued into the grass median between I-40 and I-640.
The utility pole fell down across I-40, blocking all eastbound lanes as well as two westbound lanes. The interstate was closed down and eastbound I-40 traffic was temporarily diverted to Rutledge Pike.
Traffic was impacted for roughly two hours as crews worked to clear the scene.
The driver of the semi-truck, who was the only involved party, was not injured in the crash.