PENDELTON, Idaho (KLIX)-Emergency crews with help from tow truck drivers were able to open Interstate 84 sooner than expected following a major pileup Monday afternoon that left motorists stranded all the way to the Idaho state line. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the interstate was completely opened at around 7 a.m. Tuesday thanks to the cordination of wrecker crews, law enforcement, first responders, and fire crews. Many of the disabled vehicles were moved off the interstate or relocated to a weigh station in the area. On Monday crews responded to an area between Pendleton and La Grande for a multi-vehicle incident a little after 12 p.m. According to Oregon State Police, crews had to work through the night to remove 170 vehicles out of a nearly two-mile stretch on I-84. OSP said in a statement Tuesday that 17 people had to be transported, another two were taken to the hospital from a staging area in Pendleton. Buses transported 71 stranded people from the crash scene to the staging area.

Oregon State Police
Oregon State Police
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From there a Pendleton taxi company and area church shuttled people to local hotels for the night. The pileup halted westbound traffic in Ontario forcing travelers to wait overnight. Travel was expected to move slowly through the mountain range as winter weather continued to move over the area.

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