Ice turns Mid-South roads into mess; drivers urged to stay home

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A light freezing rain began falling Thursday morning and snow has turned to an icy glaze on many roadways.

The conditions are causing wrecks and slowdowns across the area. Germantown Police asked drivers to avoid Poplar Avenue between West Street and Exeter Road. Stateline Road near the Tennessee-Memphis border was at a crawl due to multiple accidents Thursday morning.

An Amazon tractor-trailer jackknifed across Holmes Road overnight, blocking all lanes of Homes between Malone and Pleasant Hill.

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Davenport Towing, a company that tows 18-wheelers, said they had 80 calls Thursday morning and 50 calls holding.

Memphis Area Transit Authority suspended all fixed route services, trolley services, and on-demand services due to hazardous road conditions, excepts MATAPlus life sustaining trips.

Traffic cameras showed traffic backups on Interstate 55 in north Mississippi. State highway officials advised against traveling because of significant icing in north Mississippi.

In Lafayette County, Mississippi, the mayor of Oxford said roads are impassable.

“Please stay off the roads. They are impassable. You are putting our city workers at risk. Tow trucks are not able to get around. Roads are being closed to protect you,” Mayor Robyn Tannehill said.

Memphis Police are operating under an inclement weather policy. That means if you are in a wreck with no injury, you should exchange name, address, phone number, insurance information and vehicle information including tag number, with the other driver.

MPD urged drivers to stay off the roads if possible.

The National Weather Service says freezing rain that started around 8 a.m. will continue through the afternoon. A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 7 p.m.

“Roads will be VERY dangerous today, so use extreme caution,” NWS-Memphis wrote on social media.

Several truckers also say they were stranded Thursday morning at a truck stop near the intersection of Pleasant Hill and Holmes Road.

The truckers said they can’t take another route unless directed to do so. However, parking at the truck stop for extended hours comes with a hefty fee. The truckers said they had to pay over $800 for parking overnight.

An employee at a gas station nearby said the road gets hit with ice every year. This causes a hassle for truckers, as they are forced to take the route.

“This is normal. This happened I think three times last year maybe, and I anticipated it happening again this year,” she said. “The trucks started going up and then sliding back down and giving up.”

This intersection is located in an area where hundreds of truckers travel daily to make their deliveries.

However, despite the traffic, those who work in the area say they feel this location is often forgotten when it comes to severe weather.

“The City of Memphis is going to forget that this road exists. It’s going to be days before it’s salted or anything,” a worker said.

Afternoon temperatures will try to climb a few degrees above freezing. While this will aid in melting, all liquid or slush is going to re-freeze Thursday night as temperatures fall back into the lower 20s. Roads that are untreated and unplowed will likely be very slick early Friday.

Check the latest forecasts from WREG Weather

Another round of really cold air to deal with heading into the weekend, with lows in the single digits both Friday and Saturday night.

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