Rolling closures affecting I-80, Highway 30 in Nebraska Panhandle
SIDNEY - 316 miles of Interstate 80 and Highway 30, from Cheyenne, Wyo. to Kearney, Neb., were closed in Nebraska Monday due to blizzard conditions between North Platte and Lexington.
Nebraska Department of Transportation Superintendent Jim Land told News Channel Nebraska Monday afternoon the eastbound lanes of the two roads would be closed from Cheyenne to Lexington at 3:30 p.m. Monday. Highway 30 remained open to local traffic in the Nebraska Panhandle and southeast Wyoming.
Land expected the two main travel arteries in western and central Nebraska to remain closed through 8 a.m. Tuesday.
Roads remained "extremely icy" Monday as road crews continued to work to safely reopen roads, according to the NDOT.
Deteriorating road conditions and poor visibility closed I-80 and Hwy. 30 from Ogallala to Lexington on Sunday night. As communities began to fill up with travelers, rolling closures began in both directions. I-80 west was closed from Kearney to North Platte.
The westbound lanes of I-80 reopened from North Platte to Big Springs at 3:13 p.m. Monday.
Blizzard warnings and winter weather advisories were in effect for the central part of the state until early Tuesday morning.
The Nebraska State Patrol responded to 5 crashes and performed over 35 motorists assists as of early Monday afternoon.
