Cars smashed, lanes blocked, a light pole hanging over a freeway onramp.

That was the scene early this morning when a semi-truck driver, allegedly drunk and asleep at the wheel, crashed into a light pole and concrete barrier while driving westbound on State Route 522 onto the southbound Interstate-405 ramp in Bothell at about 12:30 a.m., according to Washington State Patrol trooper Julie Startup.

The truck-driver’s crash caused two separate collisions involving six cars on I-405 below when pieces of the pole and chunks of cement plunged onto the roadway.

“One of our troopers said the truck driver rolled over on its side, rode the guardrail and hit the light pole right up on 405,” said Startup, who noted that part of the pole was dangling from above 405. She added that the Department of Transportation (DOT) said there was a power outage in the area for a while.

There were minor injuries to those involved in the car crashes, and Startup added that a woman in the traffic backup pulled over to the shoulder of the road and went into labor. The uninjured truck driver was arrested on investigation of driving under the influence.

Startup noted that crews closed all lanes in both directions of I-405 for a while, and eventually lanes began opening up as work progressed. Two lanes were still closed at about 5:30 a.m., and according to a DOT press release, all lanes were open by 7:10 a.m.

“It was a visual distraction, a lot going on,” Startup said. “It was not a good way to start your morning commute.”

Startup added that when one of her fellow troopers arrived, “it was a very big scene, a real big endeavor,” in that the trooper noticed the array of damage and called for backup to emergency-services agencies in Bothell and Woodinville.