ST. GEORGE — A crash on Interstate 15 in the Virgin River Gorge blocked northbound traffic Monday morning.
Updated May 11 at 12:06 p.m. – Arizona Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Bottoms told St. George News both lanes of travel have been cleared and residual backed up traffic should start clearing out.
According to an alert posted on the Arizona Department of Transportation website, the incident occurred at 8:37 a.m. MST (9:37 a.m MDT).
The crash took place near mile marker 18 close to the Cedar Pocket exit, and ADOT is saying the interstate is closed. According to a preliminary message from Bottoms, the earliest estimated time of opening was 10:45 a.m. MST (11:45 a.m. MDT).
“We are working to clear the highway of the crashed vehicles, and transport all of the patients from the crash,” Bottoms said in a text to St. George News, adding that the opening of all lanes could take between 60-90 minutes.
No further information is available as of publication of this report.
Those seeking to avoid the traffic backup in the Virgin River Gorge may take Highway 91 as an alternate route, which may save travel time and reduce congestion.
The highway bypasses the gorge entirely, intersecting with I-15 at Exit 8 in Littlefield, Arizona, to the south and connecting to St. George at the north via Santa Clara and Sunset Boulevard. See map included in this article.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.