Thousands stranded as storm ravaged I-80 remains closed in the Sierra

APPLEGATE -- The line stretched for miles early Wednesday morning, semi-truck after semi-truck parked on the side of I-80 and roadside lots waiting for the vital traffic artery between Northern California and Nevada to reopen.

The brunt of a fierce winter storm front began moving eastward early Wednesday, but as it exited it left behind as much as 4 feet of new snow, towering snow drifts, fallen trees and the sub-zero temperatures added a layer of ice to roadway.

While the blizzard conditions shut down the roadway, it just added to the amazing seasonal snow totals at the local ski resorts. Palisades Tahoe reported it had gotten 56 inches over the last 72 hours while 52 inches fell at Boreal.

Caltrans crews worked all night trying to clear the highway enough to allow it to be reopened. But the flashing sign at Applegate still read I-80 Closed.

Among those waiting was truck driver Michael Vaughn.

 "What do I do? Sit here," he said. "There's nothing else you can do. Just sit, wait."

The same was true for Victor Marquez.

"I have a buddy who's been waiting out there since Friday, he's been sitting there on the I-80, waiting for it to go by," Marquez said.

The I-80 corridor is vital commercial corridor in the region so any shutdown particularly one stretching for days carries with it a steep economic impact.

In 2019, $4.7 million-plus in commercial goods were transported over the I-80 pass an hour.

Truckers weren't the only travelers impacted. Alan Schmidt has been trying to return to his Reno home after a trip to Southern California.

"I think it stinks," he said. "It stinks all over California. I was just down in San Diego for a week and it took four days to get back here out of Southern California. It's been nonstop."

And there is no sign as to when the roadway will reopen.

"I-80 eastbound remains closed at Applegate and westbound is closed at the Nevada State line," the California Highway Patrol tweeted at 6 a.m. "No estimated time of reopening."

Meanwhile, the CHP says some motorists have been trying to find a way around the closures using GPS.

"It has come to our attention there has been an increasing number of drivers using GPS to find their way around the Interstate 80 closures," the Placer County Sheriff posted on social media. "Folks, the closures are put in place for your safety - backroads are not any safer, as evidenced by the multiple spin outs and crashes that have already occurred."