BENTON COUNTY (KFSM) – For those needing to hit the roads Sunday (Mar. 1) morning, the county’s road department is warning drivers of hazardous driving conditions due to black ice.
The ice is so severe in some areas the road department is having problems getting their equipment on roadways, according to news release. They are advising drivers to use extreme caution.
“Out around the northwest portion of the county they are slick,” says Jeff Clark with the Benton County Road department. “I just came through the backside of the Bella Vista area, the roads look clear but be cautious because you can’t see the black ice.”
He says his department hasn’t received calls of accidents either this morning or overnight. The brunt of the calls came in yesterday as the freezing rain turned the snow to ice.
Arkansas State Police worked several slide offs yesterday between the Lowell and Promenade Exits on Interstate 49. Even the 5NEWS live truck was involved in an accident, with reporter Ellen Thalls and her photographer being transported to a local hospital for minor injuries.
Clark warned that the most dangerous area was around Beaver Lake where the hills tend to ice over quicker. “We’re hoping in the next two to three hours to have the roads cleared,” he says. “It has been treacherous for us also.”
The Department stated that with temperatures rising above freezing this afternoon, they hope it will make a difference on the roads.
