Slick roads caused wrecks, road closures through Monday night

North Carolina State Highway Patrol Lt. Jeff Gordon said slick roads were to blame for nearly 450 weather-related wrecks in the greater Triangle area between midnight and 3:30 p.m. Monday.

Statewide, troopers responded to 1,100 wrecks overnight and into the morning hours, although none of them involved fatalities.

In Cumberland County, northbound lanes of Interstate 95 at Exit 58 (I-295) were closed for nearly two hours after a tractor-trailer crashed.

In Knightdale, a wreck involving a tractor-trailer and at least three other vehicles caused major delays just before 8 a.m.on U.S. Highway 264. No serious injures were reported.

Interstate 440 at Wade Avenue in Raleigh was shut down early Monday due to a crash involving three vehicles. Authorities also closed U.S. Highway 64 east near mile marker 469 in Rocky Mount.

In Chatham County, multiple drivers lost control of their vehicles after they encountered icy roads.

Officials said airlines canceled about 70 flights Monday morning thanks to poor weather conditions, but travelers were encouraged to check with their individual airlines for updated flight statuses.

No major power outages were reported.

Conditions were expected to improve throughout the afternoon hours, but as temperatures struggled to climb above freezing, surfaces remained slick.

During the late afternoon hours, a box truck rolled off the road and up an embankment on I-40 in Raleigh and a driver in Durham collided with a wall on Interstate 85.

Accidents continued throughout Monday evening, with many cars slipping and sliding across roadways in Durham. The interchange between N.C. Highway 15-501 and I-85 was blocked Monday night because of a weather-related accident involving eight vehicles.

The ramps from I-540 to Glenwood in Raleigh were also closed in both directions Monday night as ice continued to pose a problem for motorists.

Emergency workers, road crews, and trick drivers had a busy day dealing with the wreck, and often took hours to clear all the vehicles left behind from accidents. One pick-up truck that rolled of the road along I-540 in Durham at about 6 a.m. wasn't removed for more than 12 hours.