PORT ANGELES — U.S. Highway 101 was open to traffic Saturday after having been closed in both directions near the Elwha River bridge for nearly two hours Friday because of inclement weather and collisions, state Department of Transportation officials said.
The highway closed after a wreck blocked the westbound lane at milepost 239.5 just east of the bridge at 6:02 p.m., officials said.
Transportation maintenance crews and the State Patrol responded to multiple spin-outs and wrecks on the hill east of the bridge.
The roadway reopened at 7:50 p.m., Transportation spokeswoman Claudia Bingham Baker said.
Further to the west, Clallam County Fire District No. 2 responded to multiple wrecks between Indian Valley and Fairholme store on the west side of Lake Crescent, Assistant Chief Dan Huff said.
A Ford Focus driven by David Matson lost control on the icy roadway and slid into a ditch at milepost 233 near Lake Sutherland at about 4 p.m. Friday, Huff said.
Matson and a passenger were taken to Olympic Medical Center for evaluation, Huff said.
Clallam County Fire District No. 2 and Clallam County Sheriff’s Office units cleared the scene at 5:45 p.m.
Roads could be icy this week.
The National Weather Service has predicted the possibility of small amounts of lowland snow across the North Olympic Peninsula from tonight through Wednesday.
“Tomorrow night, colder air is expected to move in,” said Johnny Burg, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Seattle, on Saturday.
“That could bring the possibility that we could have some snow. However, we don’t have amounts or locations [forecast] at this point.”
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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
