Over 25 collisions on interstate, causing closure, back-ups

GEORGE — Over 25 collisions occurred on I-90 across central Washington Sunday afternoon, the majority of which took place between Dodson Road and Adams Road near the Winchester Rest Area, causing an hours-long closure of the eastbound highway in that area.

No life-threatening injuries were reported, though at least two people were sent to the hospital for minor injuries. According to law enforcement, most of the incidents were the result of drivers going too fast for conditions.

“There’s not the big signs they have in Snoqualmie that say, ‘slow down, put chains on,’ whatever, and there’s some folks that take the risk and don’t drive with good snow tires, and they’re just driving too fast,” said Trooper John Bryant, a spokesman with the Washington State Patrol.

Law enforcement began fielding calls for collisions along the interstate shortly after 2 p.m., once road conditions had begun to deteriorate, Bryant said.

A series of collisions, mostly consisting of rollovers and vehicles sliding off the roadway, led to the closure of Eastbound I-90 at milepost 154 shortly before 4:30 p.m. Traffic was rerouted on the nearby frontage road, but the narrower roadway led to extensive traffic back-ups, according to law enforcement.

Due to the large number of collisions, clearing the roadway of both disabled vehicles and built-up snow was a slow process. The highway was reopened three hours later, around 7:30 p.m.

— Staff report