x
Breaking News
More () »

ARDOT, accident repair shops prepare for freezing rain

With the chances of freezing rain on Monday, ARDOT prepares roads while repair shops are ordering parts for an anticipated increase in accidents.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. — Overnight into Monday morning there is a potential for freezing rain across 5CCOUNTRY. 

ARDOT has been preparing all day Sunday, Jan. 21, to keep the roads as safe as possible for anticipated slick road conditions on Monday, Jan. 22.

“Been out all afternoon and will continue through the night in the north and western counties putting down salt brine," Dave Parker, ARDOT chief public officer, said. "We're expecting a decent amount of freezing rain to start, you know 4 or 5 in the morning, not at a great time during the early part of the morning rush hour. It's not supposed to be a huge burst of precipitation, but a couple of hours of freezing rain can really cause a lot of problems.” 

He recommends staying home Monday morning. If you need to leave the house, try to leave earlier than usual

“Probably build a little more time into your trip tomorrow, add a few more minutes," Parker said. "If it takes you 20 minutes, it may take you 30. Just take it easy and slow and get through tomorrow morning.”

RELATED: List of school closings for Monday, Jan. 22

RELATED: Medical professional warns of cold-related injuries, illnesses this winter

With all the winter storms over the past couple weeks, they have caused a rise in accidents. As a result, auto repair shops are having trouble keeping up as parts are slower to arrive.

“It is an issue," John Pierce, manager of Joe Bumper Collision of NWA, said. "Most of our distributors are late delivering our parts just due to the fact that the weather was bad last week. And so parts that we have ordered the previous week didn't show up this past week. And so we're waiting for them to hopefully show up.”

Joe Bumpers also said they are so booked that if you schedule an appointment, you still may not get your car fixed for a while.

“Rescheduling for the first week of March currently, and I think most years, reputable facilities are not too far out,” Joe Bumper's owner Clayton Bearden said. 

Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.

Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:

Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device

To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.

Before You Leave, Check This Out