Eastbound lanes on Interstate 40 in St. Francis County reopened Tuesday afternoon, nearly a day after they closed due to a fiery wreck, officials said.
According to the Arkansas Department of Transportation, the crash happened just over a mile north of Madison shortly after 3:15 p.m. Monday. About a dozen vehicles were involved in the crash, including a tanker truck hauling diesel fuel that caught fire, officials said.
At least one person was confirmed dead as a result of the crash, according to Parker. Officials didn’t immediately release the victim’s name.
Parker said all vehicles involved in the crash were cleared out around 8:15 p.m. Monday. Crews cleared the remainder of the scene around 12:15 p.m. Tuesday.
The spokesman said he was happy crews were able to clear the interstate of diesel fuel and debris so the eastbound lanes could reopen.
The concrete on the overpass near Widener was damaged from the fiery crash, according to Parker.
“You could see the concrete bars exposed,” he said.
According to the spokesman, the highway is drivable despite the damage.
“It’s good enough to drive on, but it’s just long term,” Parker said. “We would not want it to continue. So, we’re going to have to get in there and repave and patch, and do those sorts of things.”
Parker said the agency will now quickly put together a full repair plan, which will consist of at least two full nights of work.
The spokesman said officials “may shut down one lane at 6 p.m. and work through the night, and then reopen everything come 6 a.m. once traffic picks back up.”
According to Parker, one lane will be open during the repair process at "non-peak traffic hours."
Crews will assess the progress they've made and decide if it will take several additional nights to fix the damage, officials said.