Interstate 80 in Wyoming remains closed as of Monday afternoon after a winter storm induced white-out conditions and snarled traffic on Thursday, leaving motorists stranded en route.
By Saturday, the mess had mostly cleared up, according to authorities, but within two hours after I-80's reopening, two more pileups (one involving a whopping 44 vehicles) resulted in injuries and a single fatality, shutting down the roadway again.
"A large crash involving many vehicles occurred around 1:30 p.m. at mile post 266 [on] I-80 westbound. This large-scale event will take the Wyoming Highway Patrol hours to investigate and the road will be closed for an indeterminate amount of time," said the Wyoming Department of Transportation on Saturday of the larger pileup.
Image shows multiple tractor-trailers sliding off the road on Saturday as emergency services work to clear I-80. This happened just hours after the road reopened.
"We are now in the process of reopening," WYDOT spokesperson Andrea Staley told Overdrive Monday. She hoped the road would open "this afternoon." For the most up-to-date information on I-80s status, click here or call the 511 number.
Many commenters on WYDOT's social media pointed to pictures posted from highway cameras in disbelief that the state would reopen the road in such snowy conditions, but the episode likely serves as an important reminder for anyone trucking: The simple fact that a road is open doesn't mean it's safe.
[Related: Roads 511: Highway information in real time]
Road conditions right before WYDOT reopened I-80 around noon on Saturday.Wyoming DOT
"What we do in Wyoming specifically is we have variable speed limit signs," said Staley. "I-80 is an 80-mph interstate, but we can reduce that, and we reduced down to 45 and tried to encourage everyone to reduce speed because we knew conditions were pretty treacherous." She went on to admit that I-80, regardless of conditions, can "become a race track" after drivers have been stranded, but stressed that maintaining slower speeds and more distance between vehicles does help.
For the professional truck drivers, that can be a big ask. One driver pointed her ire at the FMCSA, seemingly arguing that hours of service regulations too heavily incentivize pushing the envelope in dicey conditions.
"Dear @FMCSA," wrote Michelle Kitchin on Twitter. "You can micromanage the trucking industry by using the word safety, but you are NOT, in reality, making anyone on the roadways safer. This happened within an hour of reopening. There will be a bazillion excuses, but no solutions (again/still)."
The traffic resulting from the closures skewed heavily towards tractor-trailers.
Staley said WYDOT would take special precautions when reopening I-80 by "doing a staggered open with patrol cars setting the pace." She sided with drivers using their best judgement in icy conditions, and suggested checking on live cameras showing highway condition, but cautioned that they only show certain locations and snapshots, and that there's no substitute for owner-ops ensuring their own safety.
First and foremost, as so many experienced owners have advised, trust your own eyes and experience, and don't allow any authority, whether a dispatcher or state authority, to dictate driving decisions.
[Related: Winter trucking tips that could actually save a life]
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