Menu
Icy roads greet Thursday morning commuters
With temperatures topping the 40-degree mark in the afternoon, Thursday was actually the warmest day in Central Indiana all week.
However, it didn’t start out so well, with some early-morning freezing rain making the morning commute treacherous for the morning commute, particularly in the southern part of the county.
Officers began to see trouble in the early-morning hours, as Putnam County Sheriff’s Department Lt. Donnie Pettit sent out a page to any deputies who could help at 5:15 a.m.
Deputies, Indiana State Troopers and the Cloverdale Police Department were kept busy, mainly on Interstate 70 and U.S. 40.
Among the various crashes and slideoffs on Interstate 70 were two serious semi crashes that closed or restricted travel for several hours.
In one incident near the 40-mile marker, an eastbound tractor-trailer hit iceand slid off the south side embankment, taking out about 50 feet of guardrail.
The tractor and trailer flipped onto their sides and came to rest with the trailer still sticking out in the road.
Crews from Curtis Wrecker Service as well as emergency workers remained on the scene throughout the day attempting to remove the vehicle. As of 5:37 p.m., traffic was down to one lane at the 40-mile marker as crews continued to clean up from the wreck. ISP reported that clean-up was expected to continue well into the evening.
The ongoing effects of the clean-up and “intermittent delays” had traffic backed up mulitple miles at times during the evening, well past the State Road 243 exit, which is three miles west of the accident site.
In another semi crash, near the State Road 243 exit, an eastbound tractor-trailer lost control and hit a guardrail, with the trailer swinging around and coming to rest facing westbound.
The semi tractor rolled over the top of the guardrail, destroying about 50 feet of railing before coming to rest facing southbound in a jack-knifed position.
Authorities also remained in the area of this wreck for several hours as Curtis removed the vehicles.
ISP also reported another morning lane closure near the 33-miler marker, advising motorists to find other routes and to slow down.
“If traveling toward Indy, seek alternate route,” the ISP Putnamville Post advised via its Twitter feed. “Eyes on road. Slow down. Allow extra time. Troopers are monitoring conditions.”
The conditions kept police hopping in other spots in southern Putnam County, with deputies and troopers also on the scene of a crash on U.S. 40 east of Putnamville.
In this incident, the driver of an SUV lost control on an icy bridge and rolled the vehicle onto its side.
The driver, described as a female South Putnam student, was taken to Putnam County Hospital by Operation Life.
There were reports of additional crashes on U.S. 40 as well as another at U.S. 231 and Cataract Road.
Things continued to warm as Thursday went along, a trend that is supposed to continue into the weekend.
Freezing conditions appear unlikely in the coming days, with highs projected at 47 on Friday and all the way up to 59 on Saturday.
The chance of rain is projected at 100 percent on Saturday.