Icy Roads Blamed For SR-7 Pileup, Drivers Urged To Slow Down

LAKEWOOD, WA — A massive pileup in the Lakewood area has Washington State Patrol Troopers and other first responders urging Pierce County drivers to watch out for icy roads.

The crash, which WSP troopers first reported around 6 a.m. Tuesday, happened on the ramp from SR-7 to I-5 northbound, and involved between eight and a dozen vehicles. The ramp was closed for several hours, but has since been reopened.

No injuries from the crash have been reported, but the incident has first responders begging drivers to take it easy on the roads this week. While much of the snow has melted, the roads can still be very icy, troopers warn.

Conditions were so bad Tuesday morning that Joint Base Lewis-McChord cancelled PT.

But icy roads aren't just a problem for the Lakewood area. Similar concerns have been reported in Puyallup, Gig Harbor, and Sumner.

Experts are especially concerned about black ice— thin, almost invisible sheets of ice that can form on the roadways in conditions like these.

Drivers can avoid slipping and sliding across the ice by slowing down, but if you can avoid driving at all, that may be the better option, warns the National Weather Service.