KINGMAN — Interstate 40 was shut down in both directions east of Kingman for part of Wednesday afternoon after a crash on the eastbound side, according to a series of releases from the Arizona Department of Transportation.
ADOT first reported a little before 3 p.m. that the eastbound lanes were closed because of a crash at milepost 76, about 26 miles east of Kingman. At that point the westbound lanes were open and there was no estimated time to reopen.
About 50 minutes later, the department said the westbound lanes had also been closed because of the earlier eastbound crash, shutting the interstate completely. ADOT again advised drivers to expect delays and find another route.
Shortly after 4 p.m., ADOT announced that both directions of I-40 were open in the Kingman area. Drivers were told to expect delays while traffic queues cleared.
The agency did not release information about the number of vehicles involved, injuries or what caused the crash.
I-40 is one of the nation’s busiest freight corridors and the main east-west route across northern Arizona, carrying heavy truck traffic between California and points east. The stretch east of Kingman toward Seligman offers few alternatives, with historic Route 66 the closest parallel road.
Wednesday’s closure was one of several on northern Arizona highways on Veterans Day. A crash later closed southbound Interstate 17 south of Camp Verde for more than an hour.
Real-time highway conditions are available at az511.gov, on the AZ511 app, or by calling 511, ADOT said.
Sources: Arizona Department of Transportation news releases. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Grogan, Brian, creator / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
