Wednesday, December 31, 2014

WINTER WEATHER FORCES CLOSURE OF I-40 NEAR KINGMAN, AZ



Winter weather forces closure of I-40 near Kingman, AZ



Justin Price, The Republic | azcentral.com 9:40 a.m. MST December 31, 2014









A series of wrecks combined with icy and snowy conditions to close Interstate 40 in the Kingman area Wednesday morning, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation.




The closure cut off part of the route between Phoenix and Las Vegas on New Year's Eve.




A wreck forced the initial closure in the westbound lanes of I-40 about 7:30 a.m. Wednesday but by 9:30 a.m. the highway was closed in both directions near Kingman because semi trucks were unable to make it up an icy hill, according to ADOT.



ADOT could not estimate the amount of time it would take to reopen the lanes, and advised westbound drivers on I-40 to take the exit in Kingman at U.S. 93 to avoid the closure.




Drivers in the area should remain cautious maneuvering the icy road conditions brought on by the day's winter storm, according to ADOT.