Highway 36 crash temporarily shuts down both westbound lanes

By Cameron Montemayor

A multi-vehicle crash on U.S. Highway 36 near South 22nd Street caused significant traffic disruptions for westbound drivers Wednesday afternoon.

The crash occurred around noon after a vehicle hit a puddle of water on the s-curve of the highway by South 13th Street, causing the driver to lose control and hit a guardrail. A second vehicle crashed in an attempt to avoid the first collision.

Only minor injuries were reported in the crash.

Both westbound lanes of the highway were shut down by police shortly after the crash occurred, causing traffic to be backed up significantly.

Vehicles were detoured off the highway and onto South 22nd Street for a time while law enforcement worked the scene.

Traffic was briefly re-opened to one lane around 1 p.m. before being shut down again to get vehicles turned around and towed from the scene. By 2 p.m. both lanes were reopened to traffic.

St. Joseph police have not issued citations at this time.