CHP reporting snow, rock slides, on 25-mile stretch of 299E

California Highway Patrol is reporting dangerous, weather-related, roadway conditions along a 25-mile stretch of Highway 299E, between the Intermountain communities of Hatchet and Ingot. A CHP incident log indicated motorists had reported several fresh inches of snowfall near Hatchet Summit and a rock and mud slide near Ingot.

The road remains partially open as of this report, but at 10 p.m., CHP confirmed that westbound 299E was impassable where the rock and mud slide had happened near Ingot and motorists were being forced into the eastbound lanes into oncoming traffic as they slowly worked their way past the area of the slide.

LEADING RECENT 299E-RELATED HEADLINES:

Car plummets 50 ft off 299E into Cedar Creek

299E cleared after PG&E vehicle crashes down embankment near Ingot

Minor injuries reported after 299E rollover

CHP officers and others were dispatched to both problem areas almost simultaneously, when dispatchers were notified of the incidents just after 9:30 p.m.

911 callers first reported at least two inches of snow near Hatchet Summit, with no snow plows seen in the area. Just one minute later, the first of several calls reporting the rock and mud slide near Ingot began pouring in to CHP and SHASCOM.

CHP soon arrived at the scene of the mud and rock slide and updated their log, advising that officers discovered “quite a bit of material completely covering the westbound lane.”

CalTrans officials were notified of the two incidents around 9:45 p.m., and were expected to be sending crews to both locations. As of 10:10 CHP was still working on dispatching CalTrans to the rock and mud slide near Ingot.

Contacted about the weather conditions, CHP reminded Intermountain area residents and commuters to use extra caution when driving in the snow and on the wet highway and for motorists to allow more time to reach their desired destinations, due to the road conditions.

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Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.