Drivers arrested on I-20 after snowstorm in western Texas
The same winter storm that brought snow to northern Texas caused much greater problems on Interstate 20 in western Texas.
While just a few inches of snow covered parts of northern Texas on New Year’s Eve, a heavy blizzard in western and central Texas also disrupted traffic along Interstate 20.
The Texas Department of Transportation said I-20 was never closed between Abilene and Midland. But traffic stopped for 13 hours because several 18-wheelers stopped until ice and snow could be removed.
RELATED: Snow falls on New Year’s Eve in areas west of Fort Worth
Tammy Bautista and hundreds of others were stranded on I-20 east of Big Spring, Texas, from 8:30 pm Thursday to 10:30 am Friday.
“My current situation, we’ve been here for 13 hours! Trapped!” she said. “I don’t have food or water. We didn’t go to … we need to go to the bathroom.”
Bautista and his 13-year-old autistic son were on their way to Midland to visit their family. She said it was the lack of information that added to the frustration.
“And the land towards the east is functional. So, I don’t understand why DPS or TxDOT were not here,” she said.
There were no major flaws to clean. Instead, a TxDOT spokeswoman said that 18-wheel vehicles were stopped on the interstate because the ice conditions were too dangerous.
The roads were previously treated, but needed to be cleared after the storm, the spokeswoman said.
“A driver who came out and passed a big old box of cookies to people, offered water, you know. He had a limited supply, so you know only the neediest who are older, I told him to go ahead and help them, “said Bautista.
Victoria Zamarripa and her husband were lucky to get out and reach a gas station before traffic stopped.
“When we got to Big Spring, there started to be a snowy snowstorm,” he said.
“We took our 4-month-old son. We didn’t want to stay in the cold car and we only had half a tank of gas, ”she said.
Larry Martin was driving from Lubbuck to Dallas for the US post office when the storm hit.
“You have the cars lined up on one lane because you know that on a two-lane highway, only one lane can be driven,” he said.
He said TxDOT would clean the roads, but it didn’t help for long.
“They would try to clean things up, but everything would freeze as soon as they passed,” he said.
For some, the ordeal served as a New Year’s resolution.
“Be sure to check the weather,” said Zamarripa.
“I will never forget this New Year in my life,” said Bautista.
TxDOT has a website and a hotline for people to check road conditions. Visit drivetexas.org or call 800-452-9292.