VANTAGE, Wash.-The Washington Department of Transportation is responding to the combination of weather and traffic along I-90 on Vantage Hill that led to some drivers being stuck in their cars for five hours or more on the night of Jan. 11.
According to WSDOT, the traffic situation started when a semi got stuck in the snow and the driver tried to put chains on the tires in the traffic lane. Another semi then tried to maneuver around the stuck semi and got stuck and blocked the roadway.
Crashes that happened around the same time on SR 26 and SR 17 slowed response times to the blockage on I-90. Tow trucks and emergency crews finally made it to the scene around 9:00 p.m., according to WSDOT and the WSP cleared a gravel crossover to the eastbound lanes.
Once crews were on scene it took a few more hours for the roads to be treated so drivers could turn around and connect to SR 26
