FAYETTEVILLE -- Snow turned to ice on Interstate-49 bridges and overpasses causing numerous accidents Friday morning and prompting Fayetteville's Fire Department to close the highway until city and state crews could treat the frozen surfaces.
"We had to close the interstate due to ice on the bridges," Capt. Josh Hooten with the Fire Department said Friday morning. "It was all of the bridges that had to be closed until we got help from the state or the city to put some ice melt on it."
Hooten said the Fire Department started receiving calls of accidents around 5:30 a.m. Friday and the calls continued steadily for the next few hours. He said one Fire Department vehicle, a command vehicle, was hit after it had stopped to assist another motorist. No one was injured, he said.
The Arkansas State Police received reports of about 60 accidents in the region between 5 a.m. and noon Friday, according to Bill Sadler, public information officer.
"Traffic conditions began to quickly deteriorate at 5 a.m.," Sadler said in an email responding to questions about the conditions in Northwest Arkansas. "The hardest hit area was Washington County along the Interstate 49 corridor south to the Bobby Hopper Tunnel and U.S. Highway 412 west of Springdale to Siloam Springs. I-49 north from Springdale into Benton County wasn't without its problems, but driving conditions were not as bad, compared to those south of Springdale."
"Between 5 a.m. and noon today state troopers investigated approximately 60 motor vehicle crashes with weather conditions and excessive speed being the primary contributing causation factors," Sadler said. "State police Troop L activated a half-dozen off-duty troopers to respond to the crashes and assist the four troopers who were already on-duty and becoming overwhelmed by the volume of crash calls."
Sadler said Benton and Washington County sheriff's deputies assisted troopers in the investigation of at least 12 other crash sites on two-lane ancillary highways in the area affected by the weather conditions.
Jay Cantrell, chief deputy with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, said deputies were called to assist with 20 accidents on Interstate 49. Cantrell said accidents were also reported on U.S. 412 and other highways Friday morning on or near bridges and overpasses.
"The interstate was the big thing," Cantrell said. "It must have been like a pinball machine out there, especially at all the bridges."
Sgt. Anthony Murphy with Fayetteville's Police Department said heavy snowfall was reported from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. and bridges and overpasses quickly became ice-covered. Murphy said just before noon road conditions were improved but said there were still slick spots.
Central Emergency Medical Services reported ambulances were sent to 21 reported accidents Friday morning. Five people were transported with injuries. No deaths were reported.