PEORIA, Ill. — The winter weather pounding the Midwest has caused a massive multi-vehicle crash on the southbound lanes of Interstate 39, according to Illinois State Police.
The crash involved more than 100 vehicles, including an ISP cruiser, according to local news outlets.
“District 8 Troopers are on scene of a muti-vehicle crash on I-39 southbound at milepost 14 (El Paso),” ISP said in a Tweet. “I-39 southbound is currently shut down at this time 3:24 p.m. We highly encourage you to avoid any travel at this time due to hazardous road conditions.”
⚠️ TRAVEL ADVISORY ⚠️
District 8 Troopers are on scene of a muti-vehicle crash on I-39 southbound at milepost 14 (El Paso).
I-39 southbound is currently shut down at this time 3:24 p.m.
We highly encourage you to avoid any travel at this time due tohazardous road conditions. pic.twitter.com/opvjYTpG86
— IllinoisStatePolice (@ILStatePolice) February 17, 2022
ISP later tweeted that I-39 from Normal to Minonk will be closed for approximately 12 hours. The post was made at 7:12 p.m. CST, which means that roads likely won’t be open until after 7 a.m. Friday morning.
Luckily, it sounds that those stuck on the interstate won’t have to overnight in their vehicles during the below-freezing temperatures, which are expected to drop to 5 degrees Fahrenheit (-15 Celcius) during the overnight hours.
“Together, with our local partners, we are diligently working to ensure motorists are safely escorted from the area to warming centers,” the ISP said.
🚨 I-39 from Normal to Minonk will be closed for approx. 12 hours due to multiple crashes involving over 100 vehicles. 🚨
Together, with our local partners, we are diligently working to ensure motorists are safely escorted from the area to warming centers. #IllinoisTraffic pic.twitter.com/FPUPlmipVm
— IllinoisStatePolice (@ILStatePolice) February 18, 2022
Multiple media outlets reported that ISP were at the scene of the crash shortly before 5 p.m. EST. They reported the southbound lanes were shut down at mile marker 14 in El Paso, about 30 miles east of Peoria.
WEEK-TV reported that the crash scene is several hundred yards long and involves an untold number of vehicles, according to a release. They reported that traffic is being diverted from I-39 at exit 14 (El Paso) onto Illinois 251 to bypass the crash.
There are no reports of injuries or deaths at this time.
It was also reported that the westbound lanes Interstate 74 reopened near Knoxville Avenue after being closed for approximately an hour. They’d reportedly been closed because of multiple vehicles stuck in the road amid blowing and drifting snow.
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