BLYTHEVILLE, Ark. – At least four inches of snow blanketed Blytheville and many rural roads in Mississippi County Monday. But Interstate 55 remained passable throughout eastern Arkansas as state road crews worked aggressively to clear obstacles.
The Arkansas Department of Transportation, or ARDot, said it prioritized interstates Monday, making sure at least one lane was plowed in each direction.
A normally one hour drive to Blytheville from downtown Memphis took a WREG crew around 90 minutes Monday afternoon and at least one lane had been plowed the entire length.
ARDot said it avoided laying down salt brine Monday but will treat the freshly cleared highways with the mixture on Tuesday.
“Today when it was 10, 12, 14 degrees, those materials just do not work as well and in some cases don’t work at all so it was kind of a waste to put it down,” said ARDot spokesperson Dave Parker.
Tuesday is also when Parker said state crews would plow less traveled highways and roads. County road crews got a start on that Monday, although their work wasn’t visible for long in many cases.
“With this snowfall and this wind, it’s drifting up faster than we can plow. We’re trying to keep ahead of it,” said Wayne Reynolds, coordinator of the Mississippi County Office of Emergency Management.
Drivers reported a handful of accidents Monday and a WREG crew saw one vehicle that had appeared to have slid off I-55 near milemarker 17 in northern Crittenden County.
“People trying to help each other, try to push each other out,” said Michael Arriola.
Those who were lucky enough to avoid leaving the road had to work had to stay on it in some cases.
“Sliding. Slippy, sliding,” said Vance Austin.
More snow is anticipated in Mississippi County on Wednesday and Thursday. As a result, Reynolds said roads may not be entirely clear until the weekend.
