I-70 Re-opened at Montrose Following an Accident that Blocked Both WB Lanes

I-70 westbound at Monstrose was reopened at about 1:30am Wednesday morning, 4 1/2 hours after it was shut down by an accident involving a tractor-trailer.

At about 9pm Tuesday evening, police say a rig flipped near Montrose, blocking both westbound lanes of the Interstate. Officers re-routed traffic onto Route 40 at Montrose, and crews had hoped to have the scene cleared within an hour.

However, as the Effingham County Sheriff's Department explained to us, the unit was a tandem-trailer, making removal especially difficult. On top of that, the accident drug a significant amount of mud and grass onto the highway, which meant the road had to be pressure-washed as to not cause an additional hazard once it re-opened.

The condition of the truck driver is unknown.