Semi pile-up temporarily closes I-29 south of GF (update)

Icy roads and poor visibilities are blamed on a multi-vehicle crash that closed a stretch of I-29 between Grand Forks and Thompson on Monday.

It started shortly before 10:00 a.m. when several semis blocked the northbound lanes. While crews attempted to remove the vehicles several others joined the crash scene. The accident included three commercial vehicles and five passenger cars – one which rolled.

A short time later multiple crashes occurred on the southbound side of the interstate. A total of eight commercial vehicles…four passenger cars…and a Thompson Fire and Rescue vehicle were involved in the mishap.

The northbound lane was closed for over two hours.  The southbound lanes didn’t reopen until Monday evening.

original story:

The Grand Forks County Sheriff’s Office says I-29 southbound is temporarily closed from Grand Forks to Thompson due to a multiple-semi pile-up.

The Sheriff’s Office also says traffic is being diverted back on to I-29 at Thompson southbound due to a fatal crash on Highway 81.

A witness told KNOX News that five jackknifed semis were across the southbound lanes of I-29 between Grand Forks and Thompson.

(Photo: GF County Sheriff’s Office)

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GFSO statement:

ALERT