Authorities recommend checking road conditions before hitting the road.
TWINBRIDGES, Calif. — Hazardous weather continues in the Sierra and several feet of snow are still expected.
With snow falling in the Sierra and chain checks in place, both Caltrans and local businesses are questioning holiday weekend turnout and how many commuters to expect on the highways.
For now, Caltrans expects a lot of traffic. On Saturday, parts of Interstate 80 were closed for 12 hours. While there were no incident reports as of Sunday night, Monday has generally been the historical concern.
“If people want to run home, they could be going faster than the conditions, and we’ve had experiences where multiple turns and what happens is the road ends up closing,” said Gilbert Mohtes-Chan, a spokesman for Caltrans.
Caltrans said the California Highway Patrol typically closes the interstate where they want tow trucks to help, and those closures can last for hours, leading to congestion on the highway.
Authorities recommend checking road conditions before hitting the road. They also recommend packing chains, snacks, and patience for the holiday weekend.
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