Pair of rebellious moose snarl traffic on busy Washington freeway, officials say

Standstill traffic on a freeway in Washington went on for miles after officials closed both directions to get two unruly pedestrians under control.

The culprits in question? A pair of trouble-making moose, State Department of Transportation officials tweeted Friday.

The moose were first spotted along Interstate 90 in Liberty Lake around 7:35 a.m. At first they were simply spectators, but they soon moved into the main lanes near the Appleway Avenue exit.

Officials slowed down traffic as state troopers worked to shoo the mother moose and her calf away from the freeway, Trooper Jeff Sevigney, a spokesperson for the state patrol, told McClatchy News.

Two minutes after the “rolling slowdown,” officials tweeted that I-90 had been closed in both directions to prevent the moose from crossing, causing significant backups.

The duo would not go quietly — they hid in some bushes along the busy interstate as lines of standstill traffic went on for roughly two miles.

Department of Fish and Wildlife officials helped to steer the moose away from the busy freeway using a tactic called “hazing,” which entails using paint balls to encourage the moose to move in the desired direction, Staci Lehman, communications manager for the department, told McClatchy News.

The moose were driven south and made their way to the Saltese Uplands Conservation Area near Liberty Lake in Spokane County, she said.

“It’s the perfect habitat for them,” Lehman said. “So it was really a happy ending.”

Around 8:45 a.m., officials were able to reopen both directions of I-90.

This story was originally published May 28, 2021 at 1:17 PM with the headline "Pair of rebellious moose snarl traffic on busy Washington freeway, officials say."