GALLATIN COUNTY, Ky. — Northbound I-71 reopened Saturday evening in Northern Kentucky after almost 48 hours of of traffic backups due to dangerous road conditions.
An emergency alert went out Friday night noting I-71 NB near mile marker 63 in Gallatin County was "impassible." Gov. Andy Beshear tweeted that teams were working to find a route to divert traffic for cars stuck on the interstate.
"Temperatures remain dangerously low, and we need to do everything possible to keep folks from being stuck in their vehicles," Beshear said. "Stay safe."
KYTC said just before 11 p.m. Friday that the road would be closed for 12-18 hours due to the hazardous conditions. Kentucky State Police are clearing the stalled traffic on the interstate and ensuring no additional vehicles access that portion of I-71.
The road finally reopened around 4 p.m. KYTC is urging any drivers who need to use the interstate to drive with "extreme caution." The interstate also has a reduced speed of 45 mph.
Reopened I-71 North in Gallatin Co has a REDUCED SPEED LIMIT of 45mph. If you must be out, give road crews, yourself, and other drivers plenty of room, and use extreme caution. pic.twitter.com/FXF6fr0aOc
— KYTC District 6 (@KYTCDistrict6) December 24, 2022
Traffic on southbound I-71 continues to move slowly.
A multi-vehicle crash involving semis closed all four northbound lanes of I-71 northbound in Gallatin County for hours Thursday night into Friday.
Verona police said the backups along I-71 began Thursday night around 11:30 p.m.
#UPDATE Still haven’t moved, and won’t for a while. @kystatepolice and the @kentuckyguard are working to clear the traffic mess about 8 miles south of us. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/cCZqxmwVPG
— Valerie Lyons (@VLyonsTV) December 23, 2022
Some vehicles near the front of the traffic jam had been sitting for hours and multiple semis dealt with frozen brake lines.
#UPDATE spoke with Verona police. They tell us this traffic jam started around 11:30 LAST NIGHT. Some vehicles at the front have been stuck going on 11 to 12 hours. Because of that, some of the semis’ brake lines have frozen, preventing them from moving. A traffic nightmare.@WCPO https://t.co/hoDlzclIC2
— Valerie Lyons (@VLyonsTV) December 23, 2022
Kentucky State Police, the National Guard and others have been assisted the stranded motorists since early Friday morning.
KSP is rendering aid to stranded motorists and multiple agencies are working to remove the vehicles that are blocking the road.
— KY State Police (@kystatepolice) December 23, 2022
The I-71 southbound ramp at the I-75/I-71 split in Boone County was also shut down at that time due to the massive traffic jam.
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