Icy roads are wreaking havoc in Mississippi, leaving many drivers stranded and unable to move.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol reported on Wednesday that southbound I-55 at mile marker 48 near Magnolia is closed due to “Tractor/trailers … blocking the interstate entirely as they become stuck on the ice.”
Troopers say that there is “No way to serpentine through the congestion” and that the road is “completely shut down for an unknown amount of time.”
“The Mississippi Highway Patrol is strongly urging motorists against travel into Lincoln and Pike counties via Interstate-55. Ice has accumulated on all roadways and has caused a significant traffic jam. Tractor-trailers are losing traction on inclines and becoming immobile, causing other passenger vehicles to become immobile, as well,” troopers said in a news release.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol said around noon on Wednesday that stuck trucks are also blocking US 49 northbound from Magee to Mendenhall.
Similar interstate backups caused by icy roadways have been reported on I-20 in Mississippi since Monday and continuing into Wednesday. Portions of I-20 in Mississippi are still closed as of early Wednesday afternoon.
In the video below captured Tuesday, you can see long lines of trucks stuck on the interstate between Morton and Forest.
I-20 in Scott County is back open in both directions, but still very hazardous and snarled. Trucks are working their way through the area slowly but surely.
Our crews are assisting truckers by placing salt and slag under their tires to get them up the hill. #WeDontTakeSnowDays pic.twitter.com/QtkuhGZXd8
— MDOT (@MississippiDOT) February 17, 2021
Stuck trucks were also reported on I-22 in Itawamba county early Tuesday morning. Troopers said between 50 and 60 trucks were stuck.
The Mississippi Highway Patrol says that they have responded to 1,115 weather-related service calls since February 14.
Please follow the Mississippi Department of Transportation on Twitter for the latest road closure information.