I-90 in Eastern Washington reopens

Published 4:04 pm Monday, October 4, 2010

MOSES LAKE — Strong winds that had whipped up dust and caused poor visibility today in Eastern Washington have subsided, allowing authorities to reopen Interstate 90 between Moses Lake and Ritzville.

The Washington state Department of Transportation closed a roughly 40-mile stretch of the freeway around 1:30 a.m.

Other roads in Grant and Adams counties also were closed this afternoon.

The blowing dust had caused a number of multivehicle accidents on many local roads.

One accident, involving two semis and three passenger vehicles happened around 2 a.m. between Ritzville and Moses Lake, injuring eight people.

Washington State Patrol Sgt. Mike Rupert said this afternoon that visibility in the worst of the dust storm was about five feet, and when it let up, visibility was still only about 20 feet.