KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – The Tennessee Highway Patrol is out in droves Sunday morning as some areas of East Tennessee see trouble on the roads.
In Cumberland County, the Tennessee Department of Transportation is reporting backups on I-40 thanks to debris, crashes and disabled cars. Cumberland County, as it’s to the west, got hit harder than the rest of the region. The story is same in the midstate and beyond.
“Memphis area, Nashville area, they got hit a little bit harder with snowfall and stuff like that,” Trooper Kyleigh Grugin said. “So from what I’ve heard, they’re also having the same problem with the freeze. Just a little bit more slicker roadways than we are currently experiencing here in East Tennessee.”
Even though East Tennessee fared better than the rest of the state, THP still plans to put troopers in the field.
“We’re going to have troopers out all night,” Grugin said. “They’re going to be on the interstates on all the state routes. Just helping out with motorist and looking for disabled vehicles and disabled motorists that do need help on the roadways tonight.”
Closer to home, Grugin said troopers had seen some problems, namely downed trees.
“There’s been a lot of trees down on the roadways, not only in Knox County, but there’s a lot of trees down in Roane County,” she said. “Other than that, some bridges and stuff are icy just because bridges do freeze before roadways.”
The trooper’s advice: take it slow on the roads.
“Just please make sure you’re driving safe, slow down, take your time, and then always keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front of you,” she said.
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