US 67 Ward Arkansas Closed Both directions indefinately due to Tanker wreck, 22 mm.

A tanker has crashed not too long ago on our US 67 freeway closing the entire highway at mile marker 22 or near there. The story is developing and will likely in my experience that this will be probably tomorrow before the highway is opened up and useable again.

Edited

Highway 5 messed up. No longer has any value in detour. Too many are trying to use it essentially about a 4 mile backup and growing.

There will be traffic problems backing up below 16 towards sherwood later on today. Its a given. It will really gridlock all the way to I-40.

From I-40 if you want north along US 67 (Which is not going to be possible today) you continue east until you find Highway 31 Lonoke. Go north on highway 31 (There is a tiny truckstop there next to McDonalds, a independent) for about 30 miles until you get to Beebe Arkansas. (WHEN YOU APPROACH Beebe, slow to 45 then to 30 prior to the one curve just inside town limits on AR 31 and Apple street at the project housing block inside the iron fence. That curve has overturned big rigs before. and there is Law enforcement at the city line for anyone over 45 and then over 35 relatively quickly)

Keep going north through town across the railroad tracks (Dual main line, stop before tracks, Lowboy has issues here due to ground terrain etc) go through town until you reach highway 67 north at the 31 mile marker area. You will have a small amount of out of route for Lonoke Arkansas about 175 mm on I-40 then north 30 plus miles until Highway 67. Its not that more miles than going direct north on US 67 from north little rock to Beebe-Searcy area and beyond.

YOU can forget austin, ward, jacksonville, Cabot and sherwood local traffic streets will get very bad today very fast. There is limited to no street choices for big rigs due to bayou terrain in east of US 67 and hill country west of there for Ozarks. Highway 5 is not bad from Elpaso to South Cabot but has hills, particularly the Greystone hill thats about three mile pull.

IF you were planning to go to Oklahoma from highway 67 to I-40, might as well run 64 west to Conway, that bypasses the entire Little Rock area and all the traffic problems with it.,

IF the traffic situation in Beebe on US 67 gets backed up and I think it will, highway 64-highway five will not be a valid option. You will get off on AR 31 south to I-40 at Lonoke and then proceed on I-40 to Little Rock etc. That exit is at Mile Marker 31 on US 67.

Edit highway 367 no longer valid, traffic is messing it up.

IF you are intent on getting from Searcy to Memphis, follow Highway 64 east and north of Searcy. to I-55.

IF you are intend to get to Little Rock from I-40 then consider the White River is in flood stage and will create for you excessive problems with a big rig in that area between Searcy and I-40.

IF you are able to take a 34 hour reset, might as well go ahead and do so in this area today. Aint no one going to be on US 67 anytime soon and those who are on it now are likely stuck for the rest of the day with additional problems of medicines, gas running out, food for diabetics and so on. If you are one of those, call the lawman at the 911 they will come out to help out.

Hazmat spill on Highway 67 shuts down interstate in both directions

Idrive already has the highway 5 alternative route messed up now and Beebe interchange for highway 64 becoming impossible.

Highway 31 is the one strong option for the time being for those who are not willing to risk the highway 5 option. There is a path to highway 107 near conway via highway 64, but that road is a older indian trail converted to 4 lane, it's almost two hours painful travel to north little rock on bad days which this one will shape up to be.

IDrive Arkansas

 

From Beebe Police Department, the load that was lost onto the highway in both directions is Sulfuric Acid. One can expect problems with fumes downwind for a certain number of miles from this. Several vehicles are involved and they expect a minimum of 4 hours to clear this thing.

Edit, its now at least 6 hours to clear this thing. problem being is that the area is bayou, plenty of water to interact and lots of metal to form hydrogen gas that can kill among other things.

No video or photos are available currently.

 

It is.

Approx 2600 gallons got into the highway on both sides there.

People have reported possibly driving through the stuff which will probably total their car in due time.

Northbound appears to be open however the southbound side is a mess.

Whats amazing I think is the lack of casualties, one injured that was reported so far. Hopefully thats all of it.

There is a lack of updating or information from this crash which is not that uncommon here.

 

That section of the freeway is particularly rough. About 5 miles of bad plates. Shake everything loose until something breaks. They are in the process of replacing the entire freeway and bring it to current interstate code for future I-57 in a couple of years.

One of the vehicles is going to the shop already for additional front end alignment. Its getting beat up by the bad pavement. It already has a slight preexisting issue from the previous year. There is a original bolt on top of the tower thats gone bad. (Just like if you bent a paper clip enough, SNAP...) a new bolt will run about 110 dollars plus labor for that side.

 

Ive hauled acid in plastic two gallon bottles on pallets.

The one detail about loading there that got me was they put in Clips between front bottom of pallets and van floor. So that if you had to seriously brake hard it will try to hold the whole thing where it is.

I wont forget that load anytime soon even though its been 25+ years. It was delivered safely.