Journal Lines

Westbound I-90 traffic backed up

RITZVILLE – Westbound Interstate 90 traffic backed up for several miles from Sunday morning, July 25, until Monday morning, July 26, between Sprague and Ritzville.

The backup covered much of the distance between Mileposts 231-239 by 1:18 p.m., according to the state Department of Transportation.

At its worst, state officials said the backup extended more than 10 miles.

Transportation officials said they had to shut down one lane of the interstate, which caused the backup. The lane shutdown was prompted by new asphalt that was rolled out early Sunday, but didn’t...