[UPDATE: Driving Alert Issued by Arcata Fire] Icy Conditions Causing Multiple Crashes on 299
Icy roads have resulted in multiple accidents on area roads this morning, according to the CHP Traffic Incident Information Page. As of 8 a.m., there are at least two accidents requiring ambulances and two more with unknown injuries between the 101 interchange and Glendale west of Blue Lake.
Most of them in the area of the Mad River Bridge.
Caltrans has been dispatched to sand the bridges in the area.
Please remember that information gathered from initial reports is subject to revision as more facts become available.
UPDATE 8:15 a.m.: Arcata Fire issued the following alert.
Please use whatever mechanism is possible to notify drivers to slow down this morning. There have been numerous vehicle accidents, multi-vehicle accidents, and spin-outs, particularly on the bridges around Arcata and Glendale areas.
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Probably a good time to put down the smart phone and watch the road for a change
When you get water and it freezes like that….might want to slow down
Cal Trans is dispatched to spread sand AFTER the wrecks?
Thanks guys.
Suppose everyone with a brain and awareness of conditions, will have to personally call Humboldt County Roads to remind them to DO THEIR JOB as well, and remind them to place warning signs and to spread sand at the notoriously treacherous spots?
Because the Plan in Place seems to be just wait until an unsuspecting driver , or multiple vehicles, crashes?
Not like we didn’t have any warnings about forecast low overnight temperatures, combined with precipitation…🤷♀️
Or as a driver you can do your job and drive appropriately for conditions. If you can’t handle that stay at home. Or get a better equipped vehicle…… You’re the same person that would bitch if they worked overtime to do it in the weekend!
I don’t think Caltrans has the word “proactive” in their vocabulary!
Hey couple weeks ago I saw a Caltrans truck spreading and plowing Scott Mtn pass on a Sunday morning at dawn, so… They may have been working at higher Els. Don’t depend on others to replace your lack of judgment!
Loved your last sentence regarding lack of judgment and NOT depending on others to “hold” our hands in time of actual need. During my working career I would average 20,000 miles per year in Humboldt and Del Norte counties . In the rainy/snowy season I would carry water, three days worth of food, backpacking stoves, sleeping bag,etc. You have to prepare for the worst!! FYI I never had an accident!!!
Yeah- Someone else should always be responsible for taking care of anything that inconveniences me! Daddy should have been out sanding those roads! Every single one in the whole county since last night! Waaa! They should have KNOWN there would be bad drivers right there in those spots! I suppose you want ME to be responsible for myself!
Thats what you sound like.
Visited a friend on Fickle Hill last night. About 2 miles up…by midnight there was already ice all over their yard, driveway and road. So I have to agree- if I was CalTrans I would be checking roads and sanding at 5 am, not after commute hours and after some wrecks! It’s a lucky thing nobody died going 60 mph and hitting ice! (CA drivers are not very good at ice-most being from LA and SoCal) Yes- I believe in personal responsibility but I also think CalTrans should be doing something proactive- like laying out red, visible sand- to protect regular commute hours. They sure get a lot of our tax money!
“personal responsibility” — like not visiting folks outside your household while there’s a surge in the COVID-19 virus occurring locally?
Full-on troll comment above …Your trolling is okay. I saw you shred some guy here and how he kept trying to explain to you and you just grabbed another angle and shredded on. I laughed about it later. You’re okay, kid. Keep trolling and maybe someday….maybe….you might be half as good as the Honeydew Bridge Chump. Now THAT was excellent trolling! Blue medal material…
I think you guys are being a little too harsh and judgmental of CalTrans. They work their butts off keeping things moving – even throughout the night. I drove through at 3 am and again at 5:00 am and there was plenty of sand on the roads. I had no trouble getting to Hoopa and back. It was 28 degrees when I passed through the mountains. I think folks need to just slow down a bit and take it easy out there. They also have several snow plows ready for the coming storm. To all the CalTrans folks, thank you very much for helping myself and our other drivers to be able to get my clients to dialysis, surgeries, wound care, cancer treatments and other appointments safely. We couldn’t do it without you!
Thanks for saying that. I just assumed there was no sand put down. Of course people don’t even notice the red sand and slow down accordingly. I forgot that people are idiots!
Exactly! I agree with you. My husband had to be at work at 5 am in Arcata and when he texted me once he got to work he said he was safe and drove slower than normal. That would probably be a good idea when temps are close to or below freezing. If anyone has taken driver’s ed… they teach you to watch for ice on bridges when the rest of the road isn’t frozen but Temps are low. But… its CalTrans’ fault!
If you speed up to 90+ mph you can glide right over those pesky icy spots. No sudden braking or steering inputs though*.
*This would be your humorous interlude. Not serious advice.
Don’t forget that bridges usually freeze first, since they don’t have all the thermal mass of the ground to keep them warm, and instead quickly drop with the air temperature.
Bushytails – that’s some very good advice! You are absolutely correct! I’ll tell my drivers to keep that in mind.
https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-bridges-freeze-before-roads#:~:text=Bridges%20do%20indeed%20freeze%20before,there's%20a%20good%20reason%20why.&text=First%2C%20cold%20air%20surrounds%20the,decreases%20to%20the%20freezing%20point.