A fiery and fatal semi crash this morning on southbound Interstate-35, at the bridge over the Middle River, shut down the interstate for several hours, forcing a detour. The closure was just about 10 miles south of Des Moines at the exit for Highway 92 which takes drivers west to Winterset or east Indianola.
At about a quarter ’til three this morning a semi rolled off I-35, down an embankment and into the Middle River where it burst into flames. DOT crews inspected the bridge above the accident scene to ensure it was safe before re-opening the bridge to traffic About 17,000 vehicles cross the bridge daily.