Eastbound traffic came to a standstill on Interstate 30 in Clark County Tuesday afternoon after a semi-truck crash, with Arkansas Department of Transportation officials confirming an injury in the wreck. Crews later reported the crash touched off a fire that shut down lanes near Gum Springs for hours.
According to KARK, ARDOT officials reported a crash just before noon about 6.5 miles west of Arkadelphia in Clark County. Traffic crews later reported a second semi-truck crash in the same area, compounding the backup for eastbound drivers.
A separate account of the incident described a tractor-trailer crashing into another tractor-trailer, sparking a fire on the interstate Tuesday afternoon, per the same outlet's reporting. Officials said one tractor-trailer crossed the median and struck another head-on near Gum Springs, according to kark.com. ARDOT officials reported an injury in the crash, though further details on any victims' conditions were unknown, the station noted.
Lanes Slowly Reopen as Crews Clear the Scene
By 4:45 p.m., iDrive traffic cameras showed vehicles beginning to be let back onto I-30, but only in the leftmost lane while crews finished cleaning up after the fire, per the same report. The slow reopening reflected the scale of the cleanup needed after two tractor-trailers collided and burned.
The dossier's evidence conflicts on exactly where drivers were being sent around the wreck. One report states traffic was being diverted to Highway 67 at Exit 63, while another account says traffic was being diverted off the interstate at Exit 69. Drivers in the area should watch for posted detour signage rather than rely on either figure until ARDOT clarifies the route.
Not the First Headache on This Stretch of I-30
Clark County's stretch of I-30 has seen other disruptions this year. In one separate incident, multiple crashes and a stalled vehicle nearly shut down eastbound traffic west of Gurdon, with one wreck just southwest of Exit 54 and another several miles northeast, as crews worked amid a wave of thunderstorms crossing the state that day, according to KARK.
Farther south, a wreck involving an 18-wheeler near Arkadelphia once blocked all east and westbound lanes of I-30 entirely. ARDOT said that crash happened around 5:18 p.m. about 1.7 miles south of Arkadelphia, with officials offering no word at the time on injuries and no estimate for when the roadway would reopen, as reported by KARK.
Those earlier incidents don't establish a broader pattern for this corridor, but they underscore how quickly a single crash on I-30 can ripple into hours of gridlock for Clark County commuters. For now, drivers heading east through the area should expect lingering delays and reduced lanes as cleanup from Tuesday's fire continues.
