UPDATE: I-30 reopens, but flooding continues throughout state

LITTLE ROCK — Heavy rainfall continued throughout the state Thursday, leading to flooded roads and thousands of home without power. Authorities in North Little rescued residents from flooded homes, while stalled vehicles were seen on several roadways.

Interstate 30, which had closed near the Alexander exit in Little Rock because of extreme flooding, reopened around 1:30 p.m.

Sections of major interstates have closed, including parts of Highway 67/167 and Interstate 30 between the Otter Creek exit and the Interstate 430 exit. Several smaller flooded roads across the state have been barricaded.

An Arkansas State Police spokesman says I-30 southwest of Little Rock has been reopened after being closed for several hours because it was covered with 8 to 10 inches of water.

Bill Sadler of the state police said state highway officials reopened I-30 in both directions about 1:30 p.m.

Eastbound lanes of the highway were closed about 3 a.m., and the westbound lanes were shut down about 9 a.m.

The water covering the highway came from Fourche Creek and its tributaries, overflowing their banks after more than 8 inches of rain in two days.

I-30 is a major connector between central and southwest Arkansas and between Arkansas and northeast Texas, including the Dallas area. Hundreds of travelers were stranded for several hours, according to Sadler.

Sadler said efforts were made to find out if any of the stranded motorists needed emergency aid.

“Early on, we sent troopers up and down the line of (stranded) traffic to check to see if there were any motorists who had medical needs or were running short of gasoline,” Sadler said. “To my knowledge, we did not find any.”

He said that as of shortly before noon, the backed-up traffic in both directions had been cleared — by drivers making U-turns or reversing until they were able to reach an access ramp.

Sadler said only motorists who knew the area well, and knew which roads would be clear of water, would be able to cross the water-covered area in central Arkansas.

Lt. Keith Eremea of the state police recommended that northbound travelers follow U.S. 270 from Malvern to Sheridan, U.S. 167 from Sheridan to I-530 south of Little Rock, and then connect again with I-30 on Little Rock’s southeast side. Southbound motorists could reverse that route.

While the I-30 closure was the biggest problem, other highways, county roads and city streets were closed in scores of sites around Arkansas.

In addition to I-30 and Arkansas 5, other major highway closures in the state included U.S. 67-167 between Jacksonville and Cabot, Arkansas 8 between Princeton and Dalark, Arkansas 11 southeast of Searcy, Arkansas 32 from Hope to Bodcaw, and the Arkansas 51 bridge over the Ouachita River at Arkadelphia.

National Weather Service records show that a record 4.6 inches of rain fell at the Little Rock airport Wednesday. Joe Goudsward, a senior forecaster at the Weather Service office in North Little Rock, said 4.22 inches of additional rain had been recorded at the Little Rock airport since midnight.

Also, North Little Rock Fire Department rescued several residents from flooded homes in the area of 17th and Maple streets. Crews in canoes paddled people in to higher ground as the floodwaters rose around them.

In Lonoke County, a woman hydroplaned and became stuck on a part of Carson Bridge Road that had collapsed. She and her child were rescued uninjured. The sheriff's office has received reports of several vehicles stalled in water, as well as residents who are unable to leave their homes.

Nearly 10,000 Entergy customers were without power throughout the day, 6,400 of those being in Montgomery County.

Related articles: Rain causes floods, closures, power failures

Wettest year on record

Road closures in Pulaski County included:

Barricades

Peters Rd- 1 barricade

Intersection of Kelly & Crystal Hill Road – 2 barricades

Intersection of Reed & Kelly Road- 2 barricades

Centennial Road- 4 barricades

Hatcher Road- 2 barricades

Lena Lane- 2 barricades

Kellogg Acers Road- 2 barricades

Intersection of Republican & Batesville Pike- 2 barricades

Intersection of Maddox & Tom Box Road- 2 barricades

Intersection of Maddox & Madru- 2 barricades

Intersection of Maddox & Toneyville- 2 barricades

Intersection of East Mail Route & Lorrance Trail- 2 barricades

March Road- 2 barricades

Marche Lateral Road- 2 barricades

Intersection of Lawson & Crystal Valley Road- 2 barricades

German Road- 2 barricades

Williams Road- 2 barricades

Mercury Road – 2 barricades

Hercules Road- 2 barricades

Intersection Batesville Pike & Fortson- on the way

Vinson Road- 2 barricades

Ironton Cutoff- 2 barricades

Jim Hall Road- 2 barricades

Watson Road- 2 barricades

Intersection of Frenchmen Mountain & Batesville Pike- 3 barricades

Updated 10:00 am

Pinnacle Valley Road- 2 barricades

Barrett Road- 2 barricades

Beaver Creek Road- 2 barricades

Rixie Road- 2 barricades

Kellogg Acres Road @ bridge- 1 barricade

Updated 11:39 am

McDonald Road- 1 barricade

Lorrance Heights Road- 2 barricades

Intersection Batesville Pike & Bridge Creek- 2 barricades

145th Street- 2 barricades

Updated 12:05 pm

Jacksonville Conway- 2 barricades

Swagerty Drive- 1 barricade

Updated 12:37 pm

Intersection Eureka Gardens & Cardine Road- 2 barricades

Updated 12:49 pm

Intersection Eureka Gardens & East 46th- 2 barricades

Asher Road- 5 barricades (scattered throughout)

Update 1:20 pm

Short Marche Road- 1 barricade

Fortson Road- 4 barricade

Marche Road- 1 barricade

Intersection of Bethel & Jacksonville Conway- 1 barricade

Lower Steele Bend Road- 2 barricade

Update 2:18 pm

Walter Estes- 4 barricades

Honey Bee- 1 barricade

Little Rock road closures

* Boyle Park Road at Rock Creek

* Kanis Park Road near Rodney Parham

* Russ Lane between Piggee & Cantrell (Hwy 10)

* Alexander Road just east of Vimy Ridge Road

* 11400 Block of Hwy 5 at Otter Creek Park

* Baseline Road between Sibley Hole Road and Hwy 5

* Mabelvale Pike between 49th Street and 35th Street

Road closures from the Highway Department

* Bradley - Hwy 63 Section 16 North of Warren

* Clark - Hwy 51 Section 2A Ouachita River Bridge

* Clark - Hwy 128 Section 4 from Junction Hwy 7 Section 6a to Hwy 51 Section 2

* Clark - Hwy 51 at the community of Beirne

* Craighead - Hwy 91 Section 2A between Hwy 18 and Hwy 230

* Craighead - Hwy 226 Section 16 2A @ Intersection Hwy 349 & Hwy 18

* Dallas - Hwy 273 Section 2A at Carthage

* Dallas - Hwy 229 Section 1A @ Carthage to Hwy 229 Section 0A @ Carthage

* Dallas - Hwy 48 Section 1A @ Farindale to Hwy 229 Section 0A @ Carthage

* Faulkner -Hwy 85

* Grant - Hwy 229 Section 3A South of Poyen

* Hempstead - Hwy 32 South from Hope to Bodcaw

* Hempstead - Hwy 195 between Fulton and Liberty

* Howard - Hwy 8 Section 6A from Princeton to Dalark

* Jackson - Hwy 18 Sec 1A from 4.96 mile marker to 11.23 mile marker from Newport to Grubbs

* Lonoke - Hwy 67/167 NB and SB at the 13 mile marker

* Lonoke - Hwy 89 North at Furlow

* Lincoln - Hwy 54 Section 6A at Glendale

* Prairie - Hwy 33 Sec 5A

* Pulaski - Hwy 100 between I-430 and I-40

* Pulaski - I-30 E/B Saline Co line to 128 mile marker

* Pulaski - Hwy 5 at Otter Creek

* Pulaski - Hwy 338 from Stagecoach Road to I-30

* Randolph - Hwy 166 Section 1A North of Pocohantas

* White - Hwy 87 from Junction Hwy 11 to the end of State Maintenance

* White - Hwy 11 from Hwy 367 to Prairie Co Line

* White - Hwy 323 south of West Point from Junction of Hwy 36 to the Junction of Hwy 11

* White - Hwy 13 from Hwy 267 to Hwy 67

* White- Hwy 16 from Hwy 310 to Hwy 305

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Information for this article was contributed by Tom Parsons of The Associated Press.