100+ Car Pile-Up Snarls US 131 North of Kalamazoo in Late Season Snowstorm
Drivers on US 131 north of Kalamazoo were at a stand-still much of Saturday morning (March 12, 2022) after a reported 100 car pile-up occurred in the northbound lanes between Plainwell and Martin.
Reports on the Road Reports 94 - 131 Kalamazoo Battle Creek Grand Rapids St Joseph Facebook group say the incident occurred around Mile Marker 50, which is near the southbound exit for 106th Ave into Otsego.
The Martin Fire Department is reporting that US 131 is closed both north and southbound between mile markers 50-55 due to the pile-up.
Martin High School is being used as a staging location for cars with minor damage. An admin on the Facebook group shares:
Anyone on highway involved with crash that has minor damage and needs a report.. head to Martin highschool.. take pictures of vehicles before leaving
As for 12:15pm all traffic northbound is being directed off of US 131 at Plainwell. Social media reports say there are now several accidents on secondary roads in southern Allegan County due to the diverted highway traffic.
US 131 Begins to Reopen to Traffic
Updated reports as of 2:15 say that the incident is beginning to clear and the roadway is opening up to traffic. An update from the Wayland FD says that the southbound lanes have reopened.
See video of the incident:
More video shows police staging in the southbound lanes:
Highways in West Michigan continually rank among the worst for winter driving in terms of number of accidents compared to the amount of traffic. Statistically, the worst stretch of the road is southwest of the US 131 pile up along I-94 near Mattawan. That area is marred not only by snowfall but a raise in elevation between Mattawan and Otsego that can act as a wall causing snow to dump on the roadway in eastern Van Buren County.
Just where in Michigan is it the snowiest? We rank the state county by county: