Bloomington, Indiana — On Friday, a 17-mile stretch of interstate in central Illinois that had closed after a pileup involving about 100 cars, trucks and big rigs in a blinding snowstorm fully reopened.
During a storm that swept through the Midwest and other parts of the country, which happened Thursday on Interstate 39 north of Bloomington as winds gusting up to 40 mph (64 kph) cut visibility, there were no reports of injuries in the crashes.
According to Illinois State Police Trooper Haylie Polistina, as crews untangled the nine-passenger vehicles and 19 commercial vehicles as well as retrieved dozens more that slid off the icy roadway, Early Friday the interstate was closed in both directions.
Before midday Friday, northbound lanes were opened, followed by southbound lanes later in the day.
The storm created travel problems in Illinois and elsewhere. Chicago’s two international airports saw more than 500 flights canceled during the storm, which dropped more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) of snow across the region.
