Troopers respond to 68 collisions in one day, mostly on I-90
Mar 8, 2017, 1:33 AM | Updated: 4:52 pm
Update: State troopers responded to 68 collisions on Tuesday on mountain passes over the Cascades.
Five people were injured and one person died. Trooper Brian Moore reports that the majority of the collisions happened on I-90, which was shut down multiple times as a result. He cited driving too fast for conditions as a primary cause. The 68 collisions that Moore reports only account for incidents over the mountain in the central region.
Original: I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass remained closed after multiple collisions Tuesday. Authorities expected to reopen the freeway by midnight.
“We don’t want drivers waiting,” said State Trooper Brian Moore. “Right now it’s closed at Denny Creek outside North Bend and it’s closed in the Ellensburg area. Services are limited throughout … instead of waiting in those locations, seek an alternate route.”
Related: Washington State Patrol cracks down on tailgaters
Alternate routes include US-2 and US-12, Moore said. Though drivers should be aware that traction tires and chains are advised for those snowy routes.
Snoqualmie Pass closure
The continued closures come after the state patrol spent much of Tuesday responding to collisions along icy I-90.
“Washington State Department of Transportation and Washington State Patrol made the determination to close the pass due to multiple collisions both on the King County Side and the Kittitas County side,” Moore said.
“We do have several injury collisions,” he said. “The road was blocked with multiple jackknifed semis in the area.”
One issue, Moore notes, is that many drivers are following too close to other vehicles. In fact, the state patrol placed a special emphasis Tuesday on pulling over drivers who are tailgating.
“The biggest issue we are running into is drivers driving too fast for conditions,” Moore said. “I was out on I-90 earlier today and I was seeing vehicles at 65-70 miles an hour. Those speeds are extremely unsafe for those conditions.”
WB I-90 Elk Heights MP 91. Minor injury collision. Drivers need to slow down. Looks wet but is icy! pic.twitter.com/50VOHW4syE
— Trooper Brian Moore (@wspd6pio) March 7, 2017
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