LIVINGSTON — On Tuesday, gusty winds caused I-90 to close through Livingston in both directions. But fortunately for some truck drivers who had to pull off because of that wind, they had a safe place to stay.
“Right now if you go out, everything is crazy. Look at that traffic. It’s a traffic jam. It’s like a parking lot,” says Moti Balyan.
Watch more of Cassidy's interview with Moti Balyan:
Moti owns a one-stop shop off I-90—a diner, casino, gas station, and truck stop all rolled into one. But Moti is new here, hailing from southern California. He’s only been the owner for about a month and tells me this wind is like nothing he’s ever experienced.
“We have a highway sign that is damaged by the wind. It’s cracked. My canopy is also damaged by the wind. So, wind is so crazy, it’s damaging the structure of the gas station,” says Moti.
Since Moti has moved to this windy city, he says the highway has been closed down three times—which can be beneficial to his business, considering his truck stop is the first available pull-off after exiting I-90 eastbound.
“When there is a highway closed, or bad wind? We have truck stop people that come and swing by. We let them park here,” Moti tells me.
But Tuesday, according to our chief meteorologist Mike Heard, winds were gusting from 60-70 miles per hour. Wind caused one semi to tip over near Exit 333 in Livingston, which led to the highway being closed down. Hours later a line of cars, bumper to bumper, stuck in this windy traffic.
Moti tells me he had at least 20 trucks stay in his parking lot on Tuesday by just 2 p.m., with many other travelers stopping into his shop.
“They are worried about their safety, they are worried about their health. So we ask them not to drive into this risky weather,” says Moti.
Moti says as this closure continues, and for any future closures? His one-stop shop is always open and ready to help travelers.
“When they are so frustrated, they are tired. We have nice clean restrooms, we have showers, we have food, we have casino, we have C-Store. So we have all the facilities for the people to stop by here. And we are fortunate we are able to serve the people," says Moti.
