Multiple-vehicle crashes close sections of I-80, State Highway 789
JEFF GEARINO Star-Tribune staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, April 1, 2008 12:00 am
An intense spring storm wreaked havoc on Wyoming highways Monday, causing numerous crashes that left parts of Interstate 80 burned, clogged with spilled pipe and closed to travel.
Wyoming Highway Patrol officials said snowy, whiteout conditions were also responsible for a multi-vehicle crash that closed a 22-mile stretch of State Highway 789 between Riverton and Shoshoni.
Officials said I-80 in both directions between Laramie and Rawlins would remain closed until this morning while Wyoming Department of Transportation officials work to clear the roadway.
The agency recommended travelers in both directions drive north through Casper as an alternative route around the closed section.
The blowing snow and limited visibility around Wyoming caused numerous road closures due to multiple motor vehicle crashes Monday, Highway Patrol Sgt. Stephen Townsend said.
A multi-vehicle crash around 10:20 a.m. initially closed I-80 in both directions - near the Saratoga interchange just east of Walcott - between Laramie and Sinclair.
Townsend said a tractor-trailer combination loaded with electronics crashed and caught fire. Highway engineers said heat from the intense blaze damaged the surface of the I-80 westbound lane. WYDOT District Maintenance Engineer Tim McGary said repairs to the burned roadway were expected to be completed this morning, weather permitting.
Townsend said another tractor-trailer flatbed involved in the wreck lost its load of pipe across the interstate. The spilled pipe will also have to be removed before the highway can be reopened, he said in a press release.
During the day, troopers reported at least 25 vehicles were involved in multiple or separate crashes - in both the east and west lanes of I-80 - between Walcott Junction and Sinclair due to the snowy conditions.
No injuries were reported from the numerous wrecks along I-80. Townsend said there was a report, however, of one man suffering a heart attack on the interstate.
By late afternoon, bad weather had forced the closure of both lanes or one lane on I-80 near Arlington, in Cheyenne, on Elk Mountain, in Laramie and near Walcott Junction. Numerous non-interstate routes across southern Wyoming were also closed, as well as roads at South Pass, Medicine Bow and Shirley Basin.
In another incident, WYDOT officials closed a 22-mile stretch of Highway 789 between Riverton and Shoshoni for a while Monday afternoon following a crash involving four-tractor trailers and four other vehicles.
Townsend said troopers reported near-whiteout conditions due to snow and blowing snow at the scene of the crash, about eight miles north of Riverton. Two people injured in the crash were transported by ambulance to Riverton Memorial Hospital.