I-44 reopened after 20-mile backup near Rolla

PHELPS COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Traffic on Interstate 44 west of Rolla was backed up more than 20 miles Wednesday after a morning crash.

The Missouri Department of Transportation said in a news release that I-44 westbound was closed in Phelps County at mile marker 176 near Rolla due to weather-related incidents.

MoDOT reported the road was open again at 3 p.m.

The release states traffic was backed up more than 20 miles near the St. James exit at mile marker 195 but was expected to grow.

The MoDOT Traveler map showed a crash on I-44 in Doolittle.

Drivers are being advised to avoid this area of the Interstate.

Drivers already on I-44 westbound were being advised to exit when possible and to either find a different route or "a safe place to wait out the closure."

Highway 63 southbound was set up as a detour for drivers.

"The storm absolutely crippled our region," the Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District said on Facebook Tuesday night.

MoDOT advises drivers to check the MoDOT traveler map for updates.