Traffic problems persist on I-55 in Arkansas

BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. -- A traffic backup on Interstate 55, which stretches south from the Missouri border past Turrell, Ark., persisted Wednesday and has stranded many travelers for more than 24 hours.

Thousands of people remained stranded on I-55, many since Monday afternoon. Reports of the situation circulated through Blytheville, and local church and volunteer groups helped stranded motorists by bringing them food and drinks.

The Red Cross also worked with city officials to convert a church house to a shelter for those stranded. The shelter opened late Tuesday night and will remain available until traffic clears on the highway.

An Arkansas Highways website Wednesday afternoon showed I-55 covered with ice from the Missouri state line to Turrell. From there to Memphis, Tenn., the interstate remained partly ice-covered.

Throughout the day Tuesday, Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe and his staff coordinated efforts to assist motorists stranded on Interstate 55 and Interstate 40 in east Arkansas. National Guard teams and state troopers have checked on motorists to make sure there are no health emergencies, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is helping transport fuel to vehicles that have run out of gas.

"We've been trying to figure out why the Highway Department wasn't there quicker with treating those roads," Beebe said. "They tell us that what happened to them, and I have to rely on what they say, that they did pretreat them, but the rain washed it off and then was suddenly hit with the ice."

State officials said the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department pretreated the roads before the winter weather hit, but when temperatures dropped below 22 degrees, the road salt was no longer effective. Highway Department spokesman Randy Ort said it is not an easy task to clear the roads when they're packed with ice.

"We'll get a jackknifed rig moved and traffic will move, and then something else will happen," Ort said.