Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KyTC) crews across the Commonwealth have labored all night and morning to keep main routes passable in the face of a fierce winter storm that brought rain, then sleet and a prodigious snowfall.
For highway crews, more daunting than the elements has been a rash of jackknifed trucks and other stranded vehicles that blocked snow plows and other responders, especially on Interstate 65, north and south of Elizabethtown, which was pounded with 21 inches of snow.
Other significant blockages occurred through the night on Interstate 64 in Bath County and Interstate 24 throughout western Kentucky.
KyTC Mike Hancock directed personnel of the cabinet to use all resources at their disposal to try to turn the tide of weather and traffic blockages.
“It is critically important that our crews, tow operators and other responders have a way to get stranded vehicles off the roadways. Only then can the plows do their job,” Secretary Hancock said.
Making matters even worse, KyTC personnel from across the state report that some truckers and other motorists were refusing to allow tow operators to hitch up their vehicles due to the cost of a tow.
“Our information is that Kentucky State Police officers stand ready to compel drivers to cooperate with tow operators,” Secretary Hancock said.
