Perfect storm of delays

Many local drivers have found themselves spending more time in the car than they'd like to recently, especially when traveling on I-80 going to Green River from Rock Springs. With traffic delays caused by road work following the recent tunnel accident, as well as weather delays and accidents caused by a major winter storm last week, many residents ended up stuck in traffic, sometimes for multiple hours. 

While traffic on westbound Interstate 80 has currently moved back to being head-to-head through the eastbound tunnel, the detour through Green River and the winter weather last week created a perfect storm of delays. 

Starting on Monday, March 3, the Wyoming Department of Transportation began to once again divert westbound traffic on Interstate 80 through Green River. Following the 26-vehicle accident at the westbound I-80 tunnel on February 14, traffic was temporarily rerouted through Green River. Eventually, concrete barriers were placed in the eastbound tunnel and interstate traffic was moved to be head-to-head through the tunnel. During the time periods where traffic had to be detoured through Green River, traffic on the interstate sometimes became backed up as cars and semis had to merge into a single lane and follow reduced speed limits and traffic rules in town. 

The decision to once again reroute traffic through Green River last week was made in order to allow crews to mill and pave the crossover at mile marker 90-91 on the west end of Green River, according to a WYDOT press release. 

"We really want these crossovers to last the duration of the head-to-head traffic, which could be months. We have been seeing some deterioration and we need to make sure they can carry the traffic," WYDOT District Construction Engineer Peter Stinchcomb said.

Local contractors from DeBernardi Construction and Lewis & Lewis worked together on the milling and paving process. WYDOT initially estimated that the road work would take "roughly a week, weather dependent."

With work being weather-dependent, it faced a setback when a major winter storm hit Sweetwater County on the afternoon of Thursday, March 6 and lasted into the morning of Friday, March 7. 

Together, the roadwork and the storm created traffic delays that caused many drivers to be stuck on I-80 for multiple hours on Thursday evening. 

Traffic had already faced delays and backups on the interstate earlier in the day on Thursday, particularly after a two-vehicle accident occurred on East Flaming Gorge Way in the early afternoon. With snow starting to fall as the afternoon progressed, drivers began to deal with slick roads and limited visibility. Eventually, the speed limit on I-80 was reduced to 35 miles per hour, and traffic moving westbound into Green River began piling up around 4 p.m. Within an hour, it was backed up to Rock Springs. With both commercial vehicles and personal vehicles having slid off the road, traffic came to a standstill for several hours. 

"We responded to 10 weather-related interstate crashes and four agency assists between Rock Springs and Green River," Jason Mower from the Sweetwater County Sheriff's Office explained of the response efforts during the storm. 

Lydia Gomez was one of the Green River residents trying to make it back home from Rock Springs on Thursday evening. After 5 p.m., she got stuck in the traffic near the Cruel Jack's exit in a spot where she was unable to turn around. She shared periodic updates on her social media every few hours, first sharing that she had moved a few car lengths, then later sharing that she hadn't moved at all. At 12:35 a.m., after roughly seven and a half hours, she posted that she'd finally made it home. 

"So thankful to have made it safe," Gomez said. "Thank you to all police, EMS, fire, tow truck drivers and snow plows! They are out working in this horrible weather and conditions! Stay safe!" 

Gomez wasn't the only one to take to social media to share stories of being trapped in unmoving traffic on I-80. Others shared photos and updates noting how many hours they'd been stopped. Some reported traffic being backed up past the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport east of Rock Springs. Others report being turned around and sent back to Rock Springs by local law enforcement. Many noted that they were stuck for multiple hours. 

Snow continued throughout the night, and by Friday morning, reports showed that Rock Springs had received a full foot of snow, while areas in Green River received between five and seven inches. 

While the roads had been mostly cleared of snow by Friday afternoon, delays due to the tunnel-related road work continued for several more days. With the storm having slowed down the progress of the paving and milling work for WYDOT, traffic continued to be rerouted through Green River, and the westbound lanes of I-80 continued to get backed up. On Friday afternoon, interstate webcams showed long lines of vehicles backed up. On Sunday afternoon, Lydia Gomez was once again trying to make it home when she got stuck in the same spot as she had a few days before. This time it took her one hour to get back. 

During the Sunday traffic delays, some Green River residents posted on Facebook that they chose to take the long way around instead, since picking up some ice cream in Farson sounded better than sitting in traffic. 

On Tuesday evening, WYDOT switched traffic back to being head-to-head through the eastbound tunnel following the completion of paving operations. WYDOT reported that crews had faced weather delays and equipment breakdowns in the paving process, but they were able to finish the work on Tuesday and move the interstate traffic out of Green River. 

"We are now focused on cleaning the westbound tunnel and then putting together a plan for repairs," WYDOT District Engineer John Eddins said.

WYDOT has contracted Clean Harbors, an environmental and industrial service company, to conduct the clean-up and disposal work in the westbound tunnel, according to a press release. WYDOT reported they are working with the company to begin the work as soon as possible.

"We should have the westbound tunnel evaluated soon and a project for repairs underway this summer. It's our goal to have traffic moving again in both tunnels before this next winter season," Eddins said.

Crews have now instituted an eight foot six inch width restriction on Interstate 80 traffic through the head-to-head lanes in the eastbound tunnel, WYDOT explained. 

"Work continues at the site with operations involving clean-up in the westbound tunnel, so drivers are asked to drive cautiously and be aware of roadside workers and vehicles," the press release continued. "Unpredictable weather and other variables may necessitate last-minute changes to the plans. WYDOT remains committed to updating the public with timely information."