[UPDATE Friday Morning: Open] Highway 299 Closed Due to Snow
Snow is sticking on Highway 299 in multiple areas between Lord Ellis and 19 miles west of Redding. [Image from Caltrans QuickMap]
Snow is causing multiple traffic collisions and multiple vehicles are stuck and unable to move.
The areas that are open on 299 have various levels of chain control required. According to Caltrans QuickMap, heading east from Arcata, chains are first required 17.5 miles east of Blue Lake and are required on and off on Hwy 299 until 19 miles west of Redding.
The closure was first reported at 4:51 p.m., with Caltrans shutting down the highway and coordinating with various agencies to determine the exact closure points.
Emergency responders, including the California Highway Patrol, Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office, and Cal Fire, have been notified, but no vehicles, including emergency services, are currently allowed through the affected area.
No estimated time for reopening has been provided. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes and monitor updates from Caltrans and CHP for further information.
Please remember that this story is unfolding. Information is being reported as we gather it. However, some of the information coming from witnesses and initial official reports could be wrong. We will do our best to get the facts but, in the case that something is inaccurate, we will update with correct information as soon as we can.
UPDATE 5:24 p.m.: Caltrans tweeted, “State Route 299 is CLOSED, approximately 6 miles west of Willow Creek (Humboldt County), due to winter weather conditions.“
UPDATE 7:07 a.m.: According to Caltrans QuickMap, 299 is open from Arcata to Redding with no chains required.
Snow is on either side of 299 at Berry Summit but Caltrans has the road clear. [Image from Caltrans QuickMap]
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Just drove through there. A young woman in an suv lost traction in the western one way control construction area west of East Fork, heading up to Berry Summit. She had trouble with her four wheel drive. Four vehicles passed around her going up and not one helped her. This is after being stuck for about five minutes together. After they got clear I got a second green light and drove down to her and tried to explain how to get it shifted to 4wd. A huge multi-painted converted bus then tried to drive down to our position. There was no way possible for the bus to get past the suv, so the highway became blocked. I drove on down and let a CalTrans worker know the situation at the bottom end. This all happened about 4:30 to 4:45.
Snow eased up some, then got worse again east of Hawkins Bar.
I’m glad they are closing the road. Very few drivers up here have any experience driving in snow. Those are the drivers that scare me!
I’ve been sitting here for 3 damn hours now trying to get home. This is absurd