Black ice causes 15-car pileup on Mukilteo Speedway in Snohomish County
Mar 10, 2026, 12:12 PM
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
(Photo courtesy of KIRO 7)
Black ice on 164th Street S.W. over the Mukilteo Speedway triggered a 15-car pileup in Snohomish County Tuesday morning, closing the road for hours before crews sanded it and reopened it at approximately 8:30 a.m.
According to the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, the crash closed 164th Street S.W. between Admiralty Way and Alderwood Mall Parkway. No injuries were reported.
Black ice on Mukilteo Speedway overpass catches drivers off guard
Drivers who were there said the black ice came without warning.
“Black ice is nearly invisible, especially just as the sun comes up,” one witness wrote on Facebook.
A school bus driver said even traveling under 25 mph wasn’t enough to stay in control on the 164th Street S.W. overpass.
“My bus went sideways,” she wrote.
One Lynnwood-area driver said she slid despite having a new vehicle and new tires.
“It was very slippery. Stay safe,” she wrote.
At least one person reported being hit by the school bus after it left the roadway.
“I was hit by the school bus on the sidewalk,” one Facebook commenter wrote.
One eyewitness described nearly being caught in the chain reaction on the Mukilteo Speedway overpass.
“We were at the end of it. The last car involved almost hit us and a truck but swerved last minute. Everything happened behind us,” the eyewitness posted on social media. “I didn’t realize the severity of it until I was coming back up and saw the cars. I feel so bad for the man who almost hit us, he looked terrified.”
Unclear if Snohomish County road crews treated overnight de-icing
Several residents pointed to a lack of overnight de-icing as the root cause of the crash on 164th Street S.W.
“No de-icer seems to have been applied overnight,” one person wrote. “It always gets like this but they never de-ice it,” wrote another. “My commute was terrifying,” he wrote.
One driver noted that overnight temperatures in south Snohomish County hovered around freezing, with convergence zone showers freezing on bridge decks and exposed roadways like the 164th Street SW overpass over the Mukilteo Speedway. Freeway conditions were reported as fine, with the black ice concentrated on local Lynnwood-area roads.
The 164th Street S.W. overpass over the Mukilteo Speedway is a known trouble spot in winter weather. Residents said the steep grade and bridge deck make it one of the most dangerous stretches in Snohomish County when temperatures drop.
Snohomish County road crews sanded the road following the crash. The road reopened around 8:30 a.m.
Charlie Harger is the host of “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio. You can read more of his stories and commentaries here. Follow Charlie on X and email him here.
