Snowstorm pileup shuts interstate in Illinois for 2nd day

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A pileup involving about 100 cars, trucks and big rigs during a blinding snowstorm has left a 17-mile (27-kilometer) stretch of interstate in central Illinois shut down for a second day Friday.

Interstate 39 north of Bloomington was closed as crews worked to untangle the nine passenger vehicles and 19 commercial vehicles as well as retrieve dozens more that slid Thursday off the icy roadway, Illinois State Police Trooper Haylie Polistina said.

There were no reports of injuries in the crashes, which happened as winds gusting up to 40 mph (64 kph) cut visibility during a storm that swept through the Midwest and other parts of the country.

Authorities were able to escort all the stranded motorists to warming centers, state police said in a statement.

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.