Traffic stuck for hours at Echo Summit due to avalanche and safety concerns
Submitted by paula on Tue, 01/10/2017 - 8:30pm
After drivers were stuck on both sides of Echo Summit starting at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Caltrans has closed the highway as of 7:05 p.m. Eastbound traffic is being stopped at the Sly Park, and westbound in Meyers. Unsafe driving conditions due to heavy snow and the threat of avalanches have been a concern all day.
As of 7:00 p.m., cars hadn't moved much. For a short time at 4:00 p.m. Caltrans was attempting escorted travel from Meyers heading west before closing down the highway.
In talking to a SLT firefighter/paramedic stuck in Twin Bridges since 2:00 p.m., all cars had snow surrounding them so many were unable to turn around.
Per Caltrans, at this time the estimated time of opening the highway is between 3:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m.
I-80 is closed in both directions as is the Mt. Rose Highway, Carson Pass and Luther Pass. Kingsbury Grade is also closed from the summit to the Carson Valley due to a sinkhole.
- avalanche
- blizzard
- bridges
- Caltrans
- carson
- carson pass
- carson valley
- chp
- closed
- conditions
- driving
- echo
- echo summit
- firefighter
- highway
- highway 50
- kingsbury
- kingsbury grade
- Lake Tahoe
- luther pass
- Meyers
- mt rose
- mt rose highway
- mt. rose
- News
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- slt
- snow
- south lake tahoe
- storm
- summit
- threat
- Traffic
- travel
- west
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