GREEN RIVER — Traffic flows through the westbound Interstate 80 tunnel one year after a tragic series of crashes and a fire killed three people and closed the tunnel for several months.
While traffic is traveling through the tunnel, the work to fully repair it is still incomplete as the replacement of the tunnel’s lighting system hasn’t been finished. Speeds are still reduced from the 65-mph limit originally in place before the crashes, though the current 50-mph limit is increased from the initial 35-mph limit set when the tunnel was reopened in late October.
The Crash
The report from the National Transportation Safety Board cites a single-vehicle crash occurring at 11:33 a.m. Feb. 14, 2025 as the start of the incident. A 2006 Toyota Tundra had spun as it was exiting the westbound tunnel and struck a guardrail, resulting in it stopping about 150 feet from the tunnel exit, blocking the right lane and a portion of the left lane. The speed limit was lowered to 55 mph from 65 mph at the time through the Wyoming Department of Transportation’s variable speed limit signs following snowfall the NTSB believes had possibly left ice and slush near the tunnel exit.
Following that initial crash, a 53-foot-long Peterbilt semitractor-trailer was traveling in the left lane, and its driver tried to avoid a collision with the Toyota. It struck the left side of the tunnel and after the driver regained control of the Peterbilt and avoided the Toyota, it then stopped on the right shoulder about 450 feet west of the tunnel exit. Soon after, the driver of a 2025 Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling in the left lane noticed the Toyota and started applying the brakes. This caused the Jeep to spin, then collide with the guardrail and curb near the tunnel. It then continued until stopping against the hillside beyond the right shoulder.
Moments after the Jeep’s collision, a 2023 Volvo semitractor-trailer combination was travelling through the tunnel on the right lane and braked upon seeing the Toyota, causing the Volvo combination to jackknife inside the tunnel and block both lanes about 200 feet before the tunnel exit. A 2012 Dodge Ram pickup truck traveled in the left lane and struck the Volvo tractor. A 2019 Freightliner Cascadia semitractor-trailer combination traveling in the right line and shifted into the left lane, then struck the tunnel wall. That vehicle then collided with and overrode the Ram pickup. The entangled Freightliner and Dodge continued west and collided with the Volvo a second time, exited the tunnel, and collided with the Toyota. The two ultimately came to a stop after striking the rear of the Peterbilt. A further series of crashes occurred within the tunnel and resulted in the fire.
Christopher Johnson, 20, of Rawlins; Quentin Romero, 22, of Rawlins; and Harmanjeet Singh, 30, of Nova Scotia, Canada, died at the scene of the crash. Another 18 people were treated by Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County for their injuries.
The Cleanup and Aftermath
For the following week, Flaming Gorge Way in Green River handled all I-80 traffic as both tunnels were closed for cleanup and investigation. Gov. Mark Gordon visited the site and hosted a press conference the day after the crash. In total, 26 vehicles were involved and the eastbound tunnel would open to head-to-head traffic Feb. 20, with occasional traffic detours through Green River taking place. While there was damage to the tunnel and the lighting in the tunnel, the damage was not as extensive as rumors initially claimed, as initial rumors circulating on social media claimed the tunnel had collapsed during the fire.
The Wyoming Transportation Commission awarded a $1.03 million emergency contract to Holophane for tunnel lighting equipment and another $753,550 to DeBernardi Construction for concrete pavement repair, removal of the damaged lighting system and media blasting the tunnel’s lining in areas where repairs weren’t needed.
