12:45 p.m. update - Argonne is now back open.

Argonne Road is expected to be blocked near Upriver Drive for another hour or so due to a serious accident, according to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office. Northbound lanes are blocked at Maringo and only one southbound lane is open.

The driver of a car rear ended a large moving truck at the intersection of Argonne and Upriver Drive. “The bumper of the truck is about where the head rest should be,” said Spokane Valley Fire Department assistant fire marshal Bill Clifford. A Spokane County Fire District 9 engine was nearby doing hydrant tests and was first on the scene. They called for extrication equipment to remove the critically injured driver from the car.

“We sent a bunch of equipment headed that way and couple of ambulances,” Clifford said. The driver appeared to have head injuries, he said. “He needed to be extricated rather quickly and transported to the hospital.”

There were no skid marks left by the car, Clifford said. The crash is being investigated by the Sheriff's Office. Two people in the moving van were also injured and taken to the hospital.

Photo courtesy the Spokane Valley Fire Department.

The city of Spokane Valley will host an open house tonight on the Argonne corridor project scheduled for this summer. The open house will be from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Spokane Valley High School, 2011 N. Hutchinson Road. Residents and business owners can come learn about the project and the proposed timeline and ask questions. Several improvements are planned on Argonne between Knox and Trent, including curb work and adding a right turn lane on northbound Argonne at Montgomery.

An RV is in flames on the westbound I-90 Argonne off ramp in Spokane Valley. Spokane Valley Fire Department crews are responding. An officer also just radioed in that a gawking driver caused an accident on I-90 near the off ramp.

There are a few small projects happening on Spokane Valley streets this week that will create occasional traffic problems. The southbound curb lane on Argonne Road will be closed just north of Knox Avenue on Wednesday, so expect congestion as people try to merge into one lane. Sidewalk repair work will be happening on Broadway between Moore and Flora through Friday. Expect narrowed lanes and some delays.

Then, of course, there are the multiple street closures in Greenacres for sewer installation work. The project to extend Indiana Avenue to the intersection of Mission and Flora is also ongoing.

Spokane Valley Fire Department crews are responding to a call reporting a structure fire at 1121 N. Argonne. The caller said he could see smoke coming from the north building near Boone. The first crew on the scene said there is a light amount of smoke visible and the building is being evacuated.

Update: The smoke apparently came from a malfunctioning motor.

There's been a lot of chatter on the scanner in the last few minutes about traffic lights being out on Argonne and Mullan south of I-90. It looks lke the lights at the Argonne freeway on and off ramps are also out. I can't tell if there's a backup on the freeway or not because the DOT cameras are also out. Everyone be careful out there.

1:22 p.m. update: The DOT traffic cameras are back up, but I'm not sure about the stop lights. It doesn't look like traffic is backed up on the freeway, though.

Spokane Valley Fire Department crews have just been sent to a car accident on Mission between Argonne Road and Mullan Road. It sounds like it will take a while to clear the scene because extrication crews are being requested. Avoid the area if you can.

All traffic lights are out at the intersections of Argonne and Knox and Argonne and Broadway. Others may be out as well. A dispatcher reports that Avista had to turn off power in the area temporarily to deal with a downed power line. A deputy is asking for temporary stop signs at the Knox intersection because people are “blowing right through the lights.”