A gasoline tanker truck crashed and erupted into flames on US-131 in downtown Grand Rapids over the weekend, shutting down the highway in both directions for nearly 12 hours and leaving crews to repair damage that MDOT says will take weeks.

The crash happened just after 8 a.m. Saturday at the I-196 interchange on southbound US-131, filling the sky with black smoke and forcing drivers to stop. Two people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

I still can't believe that no one was seriously hurt, Michigan Department of Transportation Grand Region Communications Director John Richard said.

Richard added that the damage was pretty minor for such an impressive crash.

Apparently, they hit the right barrier wall that separates southbound and northbound, and then careened over and smashed into the retaining wall for the bridge, Richard told News 8.

The tanker truck, which was carrying 8,000 gallons of gasoline, crashed near the Pearl Street exit ramp. A witness, Tony Zaidel, who was driving behind the tanker when the crash occurred, says a flatbed truck carrying lumber may have played a critical role.

I slowed down and got behind the tanker, and then this flatbed semi hauling lumber and a forklift went flying past us way too fast for conditions, Zaidel said, describing heavy rain at the time of the crash. He threw so much water on me I had to hit the brakes because I couldn't see.

Zaidel said the flatbed truck lost control moments later, fishtailing before slamming into the west concrete wall. The tanker driver swerved to avoid the truck that had hit the wall, but instead crashed into the east concrete wall of the freeway and instantly ignited.

It was like someone lit a match and the whole thing got big, Zaidel said. It was a fireball, probably 30 feet in diameter, just instantly.

Despite the explosion, Zaidel said the tanker driver managed to escape and crawl to safety. Both drivers were taken to local emergency rooms with minor injuries.

Not sure on the timeline yet, but lane closures and ramp closures will be necessary, Richard said.

On Monday, lane closures remained in place on US-131 for more inspection and cleanup, and the ramp from westbound I-196 to southbound US-131 was closed.

We have to fix that retaining wall and the barrier wall ASAP to get that ramp open, Richard said. So that is priority number one.

But it's too early to say when those repairs could happen. The crash marks the third time in recent months that the I-131 and I-196 area has been hit, according to Richard.

This is a problematic area, and it seems to be driver behavior-related, Richard said.

Crews continue to assess the full extent of the damage and clean up the site. The Michigan Department of Transportation said drivers can expect double lane closures on southbound US-131 and a single lane closure on northbound US-131 for weeks.