GREEN RIVER, Wyo. — Nearly a week after a crash and fire killed three people at the Green River Tunnel in Wyoming, the tunnel reopened to traffic on Thursday.
Both directions of traffic are now moving through the tunnel's eastbound lanes, separated by more than 5,000 feet of concrete barriers placed by Wyoming Department of Transportation crews.
Speed limits have been reduced to 35 miles per hour near the tunnel. Although the tunnel has reopened, it should be considered a construction area as work is being done to repair its westbound side.
Raw drone video below shows aftermath of incident inside Green River Tunnel:
“This will help get interstate traffic moving on the highway again and out of Green River, but congestion will still be a factor,” said WYDOT engineer John Eddins.
Drivers are urged to use the zipper method of merging when approaching the tunnel:
- Continue to drive in both lanes equally until the merge area
- Be respectful of drivers who wait to merge
- Don't rush ahead and then brake suddenly
- Use your turn signal before moving into the open lane
Two people were killed during Friday's accident that began outside the tunnel and carried inside, while a third victim died over the weekend. The Wyoming Highway Patrol and Sweetwater County Coroner identified those killed as 20-year-old Christopher Johnson of Rawlins, Wyo., 22-year-old Quentin Romero of Rawlins and 30-year-old Harmanjeet Singh of Nova Scotia, Canada.
