The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is recommending a detour to avoid a persistent traffic snarl on Interstate 24 between about the 70 mile marker and the 30 mile marker. Due to continuing poor road conditions, traffic is sometimes moving between 10-20 mph. Drivers are encouraged use I-69 (West Kentucky Parkway) and the Pennyrile Parkway as an alternate route, until sunshine, warmer temperatures, and road crews can clear that area.
Hundreds of truckers and other travelers spent the night in their vehicles as highway crews continued to work around the clock dealing with persistent problems on Interstate 24 through western Kentucky.
By 6:00 am Friday, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet personnel, Kentucky State Police, National Guard personnel, and sheriff's deputies worked to get traffic moving again so highway crews could spread salt on icy spots, and they towed a stalled truck that was partially blocking the westbound lanes of I-24 near the 60 mile marker. Officials were going from truck to truck to awaken drivers and getting them moving.
The series of stuck and crashed trucks persisted through the night and created a traffic slowdown that has halted traffic off and on into this morning. To further complicate things, as traffic halted overnight many truckers simply stopped their 18-wheelers, crawled into their sleeper units and went to sleep. That created a maze of parked trucks for other drivers and salt trucks to negotiate in an effort to keep moving.
Thursday afternoon and night, engineers had to clear a number of truck crashes that, at times, halted traffic near the I-24/KY 139 Exit 56 Interchange. The last event involved two semi trucks that jackknifed early in the evening.
After the Thursday night crash was cleared, the traffic snarl it set in motion has persisted through the night from about the 70 mile marker to about the 30 mile marker for both eastbound and westbound traffic.
On Wednesday, this section of I-24 through Trigg, Caldwell, and Lyon Counties received about 15 inches of snow. The roadway was closed due to multiple truck crashes on Wednesday night.
