Winter’s Return Puts Drivers On Ice Traffic Stopped For More Than An Hour South Of Spokane

Sun., Feb. 25, 1996

Marny Lombard And Brian Coddington S Staff writer

U.S. Highway 195 was impossibly icy Saturday south of Spokane. So icy that traffic slid to a halt for an hour and a half.

Washington State Patrol troopers turned drivers around at Spangle and Plaza about 10:20 a.m. as stranded cars clogged the roadway.

A few minor accidents were reported among the mess and a junior high school student was treated for a minor injury.

“There was about a five-mile section, with compact snow and ice between Spangle and Plaza, that had dozens of cars in the ditch,” said Sgt. Richard Wiley.

Roads north of Spokane were no better.

The state patrol reported Highway 2 was blanketed by up to 10 inches of snow. Cars heading toward Mount Spokane slid into the ditches along Highway 206 forcing its closure for three hours.

Drivers on Interstate 90 slid into the act as well. Slippery conditions caused several accidents and slide-offs, snarling freeway traffic near Salnave Road about 8:30 a.m. A collision between a car and a semi-truck closed the freeway at Pines Road to eastbound traffic about noon.

Outside Spangle, two WSP troopers told drivers to head back north to I-90 or work their way east to state Highway 27 and then proceed south.

“Or you could take the old highway south, but I wouldn’t advise it,” said trooper L.E. Turner.

By midday, Highway 195 was open again.

Troopers originally thought there was a 30-car pileup. Reality was considerably tamer.

“There were about three reportable accidents out of it,” trooper Wiley said. “Mostly, all the cars had to park on the shoulder; it got so slick they couldn’t go any further. They just had to wait for a sanding truck to come along.”

Those same road conditions caused at least two school buses heading for the Lionel Hampton Jazz Festival in Moscow, Idaho, to give up.

Central Valley School Superintendent Wally Stanley said two buses carrying junior high students turned around south of Spangle. One slid off the road to avoid hitting another car, bruising the ribs of a Greenacres Junior High School student.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.