Arkansas Department of Transportation officials reported an injury crash involving a semi-truck along I-49 near Fayetteville at 9:45 a.m. Thursday morning.
State troopers and emergency personnel responded to the scene where the commercial vehicle was involved in a crash that resulted in injuries, according to the initial report. The incident tied up traffic in the area, causing noticeable delays for anyone traveling through the corridor during the morning commute.
If you were braving the roads around the Robbins Ferry Road or CR 44 exits, you likely felt the traffic slowing to a crawl. It’s the kind of scene that turns a Thursday morning routine into a marathon on the asphalt—especially when you’ve got semi-trucks hauling goods through the heart of Northwest Arkansas. We all know the rhythm of I-49; a truck breaking down or drifting over a median can back things up all the way past Bentonville before the interstate clears out.
While ARDOT has not yet released specific details regarding the cause of the crash or the severity of the injuries, traffic cameras in the area likely captured the scene. Drivers heading south toward Rogers or Springdale are urged to use alternate routes near the Fayetteville city limits if the backup persists.
Driving safety tips
Seeing a semi-truck on our local highways is nothing new. It’s part of the landscape here, from the drivers passing through during grocery supply runs to the local haulers navigating the winding roads out past the city.
When the unexpected happens on the interstate, too often it comes down to a lack of space. Arkansas State Police remind drivers to maintain three-seconds of following distance, especially in bad weather, to give heavy commercial vehicles the braking room they need to stop safely.
For the latest real-time traffic updates, pull up the ARDOT Live Traffic Map before you head out. If you’re stuck in this backup and want to avoid it, consider ducking off at the exit for University of Arkansas campus or taking Highway 71 into Fayetteville instead of battling the slowdown on the mainline.
Source: 5News KFSM
