A tragic event with multiple fatalities took place on Interstate-80 just after 11:37am on Friday at milepost 90.2 inside the westbound Green River Tunnel in southwestern Wyoming. As the emergency response effort got underway, traffic in both directions was routed away from the tunnels. After a long 2 days of fighting the fire and accounting for vehicles and lives, the Wyoming Department of Transportation provided an update on Sunday in which it was stated that they believe 26 vehicles were involved in the event. This included 10 passenger vehicles and 16 commercial vehicles. 6 of the commercial vehicles and 2 of the passenger vehicles were completely destroyed by the fire. Initially it was reported that 2 people had been killed but it was reported that a third victim was found on Sunday in the wreckage inside the tunnel. At least 5 people were reported as seriously injured in the accident. On Saturday, the Wyoming Department of Transportation shared that their “engineers are confident in the structural integrity of the eastbound tunnel and its ability to carry traffic again once the westbound crash scene is cleared. The fiery crash in the westbound tunnel caused electrical equipment and lighting to fall from the ceiling, and the soot from the fire is thick and will need to be cleaned. WYDOT engineers are waiting for the crash scene to be cleared to conduct full assessments of the westbound tunnel.” The Wyoming Department of Transportation then shared in the Sunday update that the process has begun to move concrete barriers to the crossover lanes in preparation for guiding traffic head-to-head in the eastbound tunnel and they expect this to be in place by Wednesday. There will be a 10.5 ft. width and 16 ft. height restriction through the head-to-head lanes in the eastbound tunnel. Oversized vehicles should contact WYDOT’s oversize loads permit office for detours. The National Transportation Safety Board, in coordination with the Wyoming Highway Patrol, has opened a safety investigation into the fiery crash.
