MAJOR traffic pileup involving at least 50 vehicles closes Michigan Interstate in both directions

A section of the Interstate near Portland in Michigan has been closed in both directions following a major traffic incident involving at least 50 vehicles.

A major traffic incident involving at least 50 vehicles has resulted in Michigan State Police closing down a section of the Interstate highway near the Grand Rapids area this Saturday, March 18.

According to the authorities, a severe whiteout led to a huge pileup occurring in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 96 in Ionia County at around 4pm. They stressed that the exact number of vehicles caught up in the crash could be anywhere between 50 and 100. Drivers are being urged to avoid the area with MSP shutting down the route in both directions ‘for an indefinite period’.

MSP First District tweeted: “Traffic alert: Multi-vehicle crash on eastbound I 96 near Portland in Ionia county. Preliminary report say possibly 50-100 vehicles involved. Avoid the area if able. Updates to follow”.

Traffic alert: Multi-vehicle crash on eastbound I 96 near Portland in Ionia county. Preliminary report say possibly 50-100 vehicles involved. Avoid the area if able. Updates to follow.

— MSP First District (@MSPFirstDist) March 18, 2023

In a subsequent message, they posted images from the scene, writing: “Update: expect closure of eastbound I 96 near grand River in Portland, Ionia county to be closed for an indefinite period due to a large vehicle crash”.

Update: expect closure of eastbound I 96 near grand River in Portland, Ionia county to be closed for an indefinite period due to a large vehicle crash. pic.twitter.com/qaYjT20cZq

— MSP First District (@MSPFirstDist) March 18, 2023

No further information is currently available regarding the number of injuries or their severity, but MSP confirmed that there had been definitely some reported. The whiteout conditions that caused the multiple accidents had lifted by around 4:40pm they added, as reported by nbcchicago.com.

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