A winter snowstorm caused huge traffic jams in northern Arizona last night. Many motorists said they were stuck for hours. WILLIAMS, AZ (3TV / CBS 5) – Drivers were stranded on Interstate 40 west of Flagstaff overnight after winter weather closed the freeway. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), Interstate 40 going west near Williams was closed at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday. At that point, the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) announced that there had been five collisions on Interstate 40 and that ice on the pavement was a problem. Travelers in the area used Twitter to voice their concerns after some of them spent the night on the freeway. One user tweeted at 6 a.m. telling ADOT that she’d been on the freeway since 8 p.m. on Saturday. Arizona’s family contacted the Arizona Department of Transportation about the situation. “We are aware of what people were going through,” said Laurie Merrill, ADOT public information officer. “The best information we can say is that you have an emergency kit in your car, please. And most importantly, stay up to date. “It’s snowy,” Merrill continued. “There could be closures, there could be long periods of motorists staying on the freeways. And we keep you informed on various social media platforms. We have highway signs, we have geofence warnings, press releases. That’s what we did for this storm. “I think the reason this storm was a little unusual might be the fast snowfall, the short time, and the big buildup.” We’ve been here on I40 WB since 8pm last night Flagstaff. Guys, that’s irresponsible. I cannot imagine families with young children without food, water and blankets in the car. There should be a plan to reroute traffic and get it off the road when things like this happen. SMH – Counselor_Ocampo (@counselorocampo) March 14th, 2021 Considering the fact that i40 has been closed for more than 12 hours … People are running out of fuel and some have had no food or water for a long time …— Carine Werner (@MrsWernerAZ) March 14, 2021 Ever since you couldn’t sit in your car all night, enjoy this pic of the sunrise over your 50 mile traffic jam. pic.twitter.com/L563gmsxSr – Chris Gross (@ ChrisGross19) March 14, 2021Several drivers called the Arizona family newsroom overnight to tell us their safety concerns. Precious, a traveler from Texas, said it was pitch dark on Interstate 40 and she was running out of gas. A 79 year old woman called and told our newsroom she was cold, she had nothing to eat and DPS was driving past her, but she didn’t give any updates or information. While travelers say they value all ways to access information, they wish there was more information to access. “If you’re really clearing the streets, post some pictures,” said Carine Werner of Scottsdale. “Just do something so we can have a clear picture. Because it was just very vague in our heads. ”ADOT responded to frustrated travelers all night, promising that all available resources would be used. 2:13 AM ADOT and DPS check communications with drivers after the storm on I-40 “We have more than 400 plow drivers and 200 plows; they work around the clock,” Merrill said. “They plow the snow, they de-ice afterwards. We have had situations where it was difficult for them to get through because there were so many cars on the hard shoulder. We urge drivers not to park on the hard shoulder, we also urge them to respect the plow, stay four lengths behind, and never overtake a plow. “” We had residual safeguards because when you have lengthy closures and significant numbers of cars that are secured, “Merrill continued.” It takes longer to relax and traffic to flow smoothly. “North tomorrow? Pack a winter driving kit with a fully charged cell phone and extra blankets. More Tips: https://t.co/hcbX4E0GWJ # I40 # I17 #Flagstaff #aztraffic Don’t be surprised by unplanned incidents, get the ADOT Alerts App: https://t.co/jUswK20GTJ https: // t .co / ZhllXUTFdB – Arizona DOT (@ArizonaDOT) March 15, 2021Both directions of Interstate 40 reopened in the area on Sunday morning. Check out the current traffic conditions here.
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