I-30 portion reopens after overturned tractor-trailer snarled traffic

The overturned semi blocking westbound lanes of Interstate 30 is seen midmorning from the Point View Road overpass.
The overturned semi blocking westbound lanes of Interstate 30 is seen midmorning from the Point View Road overpass.

A westbound portion of Interstate 30 that closed after a tractor-trailer overturned in Saline County early Tuesday morning has since reopened, the sheriff's office said in a statement about 1:58 p.m.

Crews from eight fire and emergency management departments arrived to the scene near Benton because of a potential spill of hazardous materials, the Lonsdale Fire Department said in a Facebook post, which added "all was contained and no spills were found."

[GALLERY: Photos from the scene of the wreck]

The driver of the truck was reported to be unhurt.

Danny Straessle, a spokesman for the state Highway and Transportation Department, said the truck was hauling a tandem set of trailers when it overturned after 1 a.m. in a work zone between mile marker 106 and 107.

For much of the morning and early afternoon hours, westbound traffic was redirected in the area, which also allowed vehicles at a standstill directly behind the wreck to be diverted.

The truck's manifest indicated it was carrying a pallet of handgun ammunition that had to be located and contained, Straessle said. No discharge of ammunition was reported.

Straessle said the work zone where the crash occurred had already been narrowed to one lane as crews were replacing that portion of the highway.

Before the highway reopened, Straessle said the work zone had to be reset, and heavy concrete barriers had to be moved back into place.

Overnight and into early Wednesday, Straessle said, crews will arrange for the tractor-trailer to be removed near the interstate. That may require a brief lane closure along the right shoulder of westbound traffic, he said.

Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.

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