Eight months after a deadly traffic pileup and resulting fire in a southwest Wyoming tunnel killed three people, the state's Department of Transportation plans to reopen the tunnel by the end of November.
Crews have finished concrete repairs on the tunnel liner, curb and roadway pavement inside the western tunnel near Green River on Interstate 80, which has been shut down since February. Remaining work includes installing lighting racks, repairing control rooms, preparing for the installation of new lighting, striping, and constructing guardrails and temporary traffic control signs.
WYDOT warned that when the westbound tunnel is reopened to traffic, drivers will encounter reduced speeds and incomplete lighting infrastructure. This will allow WYDOT to end the head-to-head traffic pattern in the eastbound tunnel that has been in place since February before winter begins.
The National Transportation Safety Board released a report in April revealing the wreck that sparked the deadly fire was caused when one pickup truck spun out of control.
On the morning of February 14, a 2006 Toyota Tundra was passing westward through the Interstate 80 Green River Tunnel when the driver suddenly lost control, struck a guardrail and came to rest 150 feet outside the tunnel exit. The driver of a 2020 Volvo VNL semi-truck with a 53-foot-long trailer, in response to braking and swerving vehicles, braked and jackknifed inside the 12-foot-wide tunnel 200 feet before its exit, blocking both westbound lanes.
Two vehicles hit the Volvo tractor trailer soon after and exited the tunnel, striking several other vehicles. One of the two vehicles was a Dodge Ram carrying four people, two of whom died after the pickup was overrode by a 2019 Freightliner tractor trailer while inside the tunnel.
Several other vehicles hit the Volvo truck inside the tunnel, and a fire broke out. The driver of another tractor trailer inside the tunnel died in the fire. Twenty other vehicle occupants were injured, and 16 commercial vehicles and 10 passenger vehicles were involved in the crash.
The deceased were identified as Christopher Johnson, 20, and Quentin Romero, 22, of Rawlins, Wyoming, and Harmanjeet Singh, 30, of Nova Scotia, Canada. Another 18 people were treated for injuries.
