This is Why . . .
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| I-80 in southern Wyoming Saturday, January 19, 2019 (click image to enlarge) |
. . . I avoid interstate 80 in southern Wyoming, especially in the winter - blowing snow, black ice, horrific winds (usually 60+ mph), impatient drivers, and LOTS of semis.
Anymore, I-80 is packed with trucks, hauling vital supplies east to west and back. If you enlarge the image, you will see the line of backed up traffic (mostly trucks) snakes around the bend and off the photo at the horizon.
When the road is closed due to accidents, weather, or road conditions, towns along the interstate are packed with trucks waiting for the road to open. If at all possible, I travel other roads to avoid the big rigs.
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| seven semis involved in a December 2018 crash (more photos on this website) |
April 2015 saw four massive pile-ups in less than a week on a fifty-mile stretch of Interstate 80 between Laramie and Cheyenne, Wyoming. NBC News covered one of the crashes in this article.
An article on page 10 of WYDOT's September 2017 issue of Interchange stated, "Interstate 80 - a major national trucking corridor - sees thousands of trucks per day on their way through Wyoming. As many as half (or sometimes, more) of the vehicles on sections of I-80 are trucks."
The following video is not for the weak-hearted. It was filmed on Interstate 80 (Wyoming) on April 17, 2015. If you watch it, make sure you have the sound turned on.
And that is why, I avoid driving on Interstate 80, especially during the winter.
Ugh! I hate getting in the middle of a bunch of rigs on a nice weather day! This is frightening to watch the rigs barrel on the the crash site! Another good reason not to travel in winter!!!
ReplyDeleteOh wow!!!! And I thought the Beltway was bad when it snows. Wow.....
ReplyDeleteSame reason we hate driving on I-95.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, there is NO reason for those pileups to happen. ALL those trucks have in-cab communication. Once there is an accident, they all should know in plenty of time to avoid the first of the pile up.
It's time we move the bulk of our transport to trains.
When we moved from Tennessee to Oregon we took I80 but it was the summer so not so bad. Really, really filled with trucks though!
ReplyDeleteYIKES!! (I did not watch the video...I want to keep my tea in my stomach).
ReplyDeleteOh boy! I have driven I-80 many, many times but luckily not the winter. I-90 through Wyoming and Montana isn’t much better in the winter time. It’s just plain terrifying. A couple of years ago I was driving back to Washington from Nebraska and ended up staying in Spearfish, South Dakota for three days because the winds were so bad they were blowing truckers and campers over on I-90. This was in the summertime and I was alone. I was in my car,but literally had to hold the steering wheel half turned just to drive straight. Not worth it. This is why I avoid traveling on the interstates out west in the winter if it all possible. Thanks for sharing my friend and stay safe. Blessings, Betsy
ReplyDeleteJust as well you avoid it in the winter!
ReplyDeleteJust the thought of being in the midst of that makes me want to hyperventilate. I don't do traffic of any kind - that's probably why God gave me a dirt road. :)
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