Eastbound Interstate 90 at North Bend has reopened after being closed due to a 15-car collision near Easton, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced.
The WSDOT Twitter account for I-90 and Snoqualmie Pass traffic tweeted about the incident just after 3 p.m. Sunday.
The eastbound closure began at milepost 34, WSDOT said. At 5:30 p.m., WSDOT tweeted that the highway had reopened, with traction tires required in both directions.
WSP Trooper Collin Cumaravel said that police currently believe the accident was caused by speeding in winter road conditions. KIRO 7 is working to learn how many people were hurt in this accident.
Accidents like this have WSDOT urging drivers to be extra cautious during the winter months.
“And for those reasons, there is definitely ice concerns. And I definitely think that was certainly the case today where drivers simply need to slow down. Regardless if the roads look good, there is still ice there,” Summer Derrey with WSDOT said.
Both WSDOT and drivers whom KIRO 7 spoke with feel winter has come early in Western Washington.
“Very! On our way over, we were on a whiteout!” Emma Hoff of Cle Elum said.
“So, we are hitting the gates running with winter,” Derrey said.
Derrey said the Snoqualmie Pass has felt the brunt of the snowy conditions.
“So far this year, we have had 92 inches of snowfall to date up on the Snoqualmie Pass. That is a quarter of the typical amount of snow that we see in an entire season,” Derrey said. “And winter is certainly not over yet. So we need to keep that in mind that we are in it for the long haul.”