PIERRE, S.D. – Officials with the South Dakota Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety have opened Interstate 90, east and westbound, from Mitchell to Sioux Falls.
Officials are advising westbound I-90 drivers to refrain from travel if their destination is west of Mitchell. Travel between Sioux Falls and Mitchell is still very difficult and motorists should travel only if absolutely necessary. Blizzard conditions still exist on the section of I-90 between Mitchell and Murdo, which remains closed. There are no timeframes for when this segment may be able to be opened.
High winds and thick ice are hampering efforts to make the road safe for travel and reopen this section of interstate. Locations for safe parking and accommodations are becoming very limited in both Murdo and Mitchell.
If you must travel, slow down, keep the cruise control off, leave extra space between vehicles, wear your seat belt, be prepared with a winter emergency kit, a charged cell phone and allow extra time to reach your destination.
Officials are seeing crashes this morning where drivers are underestimating and overdriving road conditions.
Snow is beginning to taper off, but winds will remain strong throughout the afternoon making safe travel challenging throughout the day and into the evening.
Motorists are encouraged to check conditions at www.safetravelusa.com/sd or by calling 511 before travelling Monday or Tuesday.