Sierra gets fresh batch of snow, causes travel issues on I-80 and Highway 50
KINGVALE – Traffic on the westbound lanes of Interstate 80 was moving again after being held for two hours in Truckee Thursday night due to multiple spinouts, Caltrans says, as a fresh batch of snow has been falling for most of the day.
Earlier in the day, California Highway Patrol closed westbound I-80 west of Blue Canyon due to a jackknifed big rig.
Along eastbound I-80, per Caltrans, chain controls are in effect from Baxter to Truckee. Westbound traffic will need to have chains on from the Donner Lake Interchange to Baxter.
Over on Highway 50, a crash in the Echo Summit area resulted in a brief full closure of all lanes at around 3:30 p.m. The west lanes were closed at Meyers while the east lanes were closed at Echo Summit.
As of Thursday evening, Highway 50 had chain controls up from Kyburz to Meyers.
Frequent travelers through the area urge people to be ready for snow.
"You know, always got to be prepared," said Christopher Escoto, a box truck driver who was chaining up along I-80. "Can never be too prepared when you're dealing with the snow."
The Sacramento Valley will also see some patches of heavy rain on Thursday due to the same system.