This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A section of Interstate 15 that closed late Saturday due to heavy snowfall, trapping hundreds of motorists, reopened just after noon Sunday.
The Utah Highway Patrol said the Arizona stretch of I-15 running through the Virgin River Gorge was closed Saturday night by the Arizona Highway Patrol.
Due to that closure, the Utah Department of Transportation closed I-15 in Utah southbound at Exit 2. UDOT reopened the roadway about 12:20 p.m. During the closure, all southbound traffic was being rerouted into St. George. The Washington County Sheriff's Office recommended that all motorists avoid Old Highway 91 over Utah Hill because it is still snowpacked.
The (St. George) Spectrum reported that heavy snowfall and multiple accidents forced the Arizona Highway Patrol to close I-15 through the gorge late Saturday.
The Arizona Highway Patrol told The Spectrum that about 300 vehicles were stranded, including two school buses from Desert Hills High School and Dixie High School that were returning from a wrestling tournament in Nevada.
Emergency crews worked through the night to deliver food, blankets and fuel to stranded motorists, the newspaper said.
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