#INDOTWinterOps update 4:30pm: INDOT has nearly 850 #YellowTrucks on patrol on state roads & interstates. Blowing and drifting snow will be problematic across the state particularly in flat open areas. pic.twitter.com/L4j0maRAA0
— INDOT (@INDOT) January 15, 2018
3:32 p.m. Wind chill advisory added
A Wind chill advisory has been issued for midnight to noon Tuesday. That means that cold air and the wind will combine to create low wind chills. Frost bite and hypothermia can occur if precautions are not taken.
1:23 p.m. Southbound Interstate 65 back open
From Indiana State Police: I-65 southbound near the 68 mile marker (Columbus) is now back open following earlier crash. The snow continues to fall in the area.
1:09 pm. Advisory extended
The winter weather advisory for Bartholomew County is now in effect until 7 p.m.
Most of the heavier snow has ended, but a line of snow showers will pass through the area late this afternoon combined with gusty winds, causing additional travel issues, according to National Weather Service.
12:22 p.m. Southbound lane to open soon
From Indiana State Police: Crews are working to load the RV involved in the crash near the 68mm. Both southbound lanes should be back open in 20 minutes.
10:58 a.m. Both lanes of southbound I-65 to close
Police are waiting for a large tow truck to come to the scene of an accident on Interstate 65 near Columbus, where a trailer is partially hanging over an overpass barrier.
No one was injured, said Lt. Matt Harris, spokesman for Columbus Police Department.
One southbound lane is open for traffic temporarily, Harris said.
“When the tow truck arrives we’re going to shut down both lanes of southbound I-65,” Harris said.
While police are dealing with that accident, city street crews are busy clearing main streets and some interior streets, said Bryan Burton, Department of Public Works director.
About 20 trucks are clearing streets, most focusing on the main streets, he added.
The main streets are basically down to slush, Burton said, but another round of snow could wipe out the work they’ve done.
10:35 a.m. 22nd Street in Columbus: Weather watcher on a purr-fect winter day
10:27 a.m. Part of Interstate 65 closed
From Columbus police: One southbound lane of Interstate 65 is currently shut down at the 68 mile marker due to a trailer that is partially hanging over the concrete overpass barrier. Please use caution while traveling in the area.
10:12 a.m. Nine accidents since midnight
Since midnight, nine accidents have been reported in the county, but only a couple have occurred within the last few hours, said Todd Noblitt, director of Bartholomew County’s 911 Emergency Operations Center.
“Everything has been minor — nothing major as far as personal-injury accidents,” he said.
Road conditions are slick and will continue to be slick, Noblitt said.
Bartholomew County road crews have been out since about 8 a.m. to clear snow-covered roads, said Shannan Hinton, director of Bartholomew County Emergency Management.
The travel advisory remains in effect because of some slick spots on roads, Hinton added, adding that drivers need to use caution.
State highways in the area of Bartholomew, Jackson and Jennings counties have been in relatively good shape, the state police said.
“We had a couple of slide-offs up around the 80 mile marker earlier but otherwise, I-65 is in good shape. No major issues in the area,” said Sgt. Stephen Wheeles, public information officer for the Indiana State Police’s Versailles Post.
7:30 a.m. Give yourself extra travel time
From Bartholomew County Emergency Management: Please allow extra time in the morning for travel. Some roads within the county still have slick spots. Highway crews will be out again in the morning treating and clearing roads.
Click here for a list of closings.
7:20 a.m. School status
While Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. was not scheduled to be in session today because of the Martin Luther King holiday, two other local schools canceled classes for today — Flat Rock-Hawcreek Schools in Hope and Columbus Christian Schools.
Click here for a list of other closings.
Winter weather advistory
Bartholomew County, like much of the state, was in a travel advisory this morning — the lowest level of advisory, when routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation.
Over 800 #YellowTrucks are on patrol on state roads and interstates. Crews were out overnight and will stay out until roads are clear #INDOTWinterOps pic.twitter.com/2IHBJHCPi8
— INDOT (@INDOT) January 15, 2018
Columbus was on the northern edge of a section of the state where up to 2 inches of snow was forecast for today. Indianapolis and points north were expected to receive 2 to 4 inches of snow today, according to forecasts.
Bartholomew County is under a winter weather advisory for snow from the National Weather Service, which means periods of snow will cause primarily travel difficulties. Motorists are advised to be prepared for snow-covered roads and limited visibilities, and use caution while driving.
As of 6:30 a.m. today, the Bartholomew County 911 Emergency Operations Center had reported four accidents in the previous two hours — each causing property damage. Those accidents were at 25th Street and Taylor Road, at 5:43 a.m.; the 78.5-mile marker of Interstate 65, at 4:52 a.m.; 2335 W. Jonathan Moore Pike, at 4:35 a.m.; and at 9th and Lindsey Street, at 4:06 a.m.
In preparation for the snowfall, at 10 p.m. Sunday the state Department of Transportation called out 28 plow trucks for state highways and Interstate 65 in the Columbus area.
