Truck drivers anxiously waiting for westbound I-80 to reopen
AUBURN -- Truckers anxiously waited for I-80 to re-open Wednesday evening. Eastbound lanes opened to passenger vehicles around 4 p.m. but the highway remains closed to semi-trucks due to slick road conditions over Donner summit.
Hundreds of semi-trucks continue to line eastbound and westbound lanes on I-80 from Auburn to Applegate. Many of them were hoping Wednesday's sunny weather would allow them to pass. But CalTrans says the roads aren't ready.
"Four days without a shower and without a restroom, what are we supposed to do?" one truck driver said.
While the road is open to passenger vehicles, Caltrans says donner summit is too slick for trucks to pass safely.
"We have to get a little bit better traction in order to release the trucks because they have a tough time getting over the Donner summit," a spokesperson for Caltrans, Steve Nelson said.
Caltrans says crews are working around the clock to open the westbound lanes and preparing for more snow this weekend.
"We're just trying to get everything cleaned up. Today was really the best window we had with clear weather finally," he said.
Crews are also operating with less equipment. Caltrans says they started the season with 24 snow blowers, but because of frequent use this season, they're down to just nine.
"We're not operating with a full deck," the driver said.
Meanwhile, truckers aren't just counting the hours but the money if they're late.
"They charge me, they're not going to pay me and people don't care," the driver said.
Caltrans says they should have westbound lanes open by Wednesday evening or Thursday morning.