UPDATE: All lanes open Friday after massive pileup on I-39 near McLean-Woodford County line

UPDATE (Feb 18, 1:42 p.m.) - Illinois State Police say the southbound lanes are now open.

UPDATE (Feb. 18, 12:06 p.m.) - Illinois State Police say the northbound lanes are now open. Southbound lanes are still closed.

UPDATE (10:05 p.m.) - Illinois State Police said Thursday night that the massive snow-related pileup on I-39, south of El Paso, involved 19 commercial trucks and nine passenger vehicles.

All sustained property damage from the collisions that were first reported just before 3:15 p.m.

“Numerous” other vehicles slid off the road, but were not damaged, according to police.

No one was hurt. By about 6:35 p.m., all motorists were safely at warming centers, police said.

Making the cleanup more difficult, police said several of the commercial vehicles spilled their loads on and around the roadways.

Police said 12 tow trucks are on the scene to aid in the cleanup which will be happening all night.

All lanes of I-39, from mileposts 5 through 22, will likely remain closed well into Friday, police said.

Police said charges are possible following an investigation.

UPDATE (9:30 p.m.) - El Paso city leaders and the police department released a statement about the massive pileup on the city’s Facebook page Thursday night.

The city said its leaders and police are working with Illinois State Police and the Red Cross to care for people involved in the accident.

The statement noted there were no injuries, and the shelters were opened at the El Paso Library and the city’s municipal building.

Meantime, the El Paso Emergency Squad, the city’s ambulance service, issued a statement on its Facebook page to thank the El Paso-Gridley school district for providing a bus and to driver Darwin Schieber for transporting motorists away from the pileup.

El Paso Township was commended for providing a plow and the plow’s driver Josh Mool for clearing a path through the snow for the school bus to travel to-and-from the crash scene.

UPDATE (6:45 p.m.) Illinois State Police expect the southbound lanes of Interstate 39, between Normal and Minonk, will be closed for about 12 hours because of a crash involving over 100 vehicles.

State Police Trooper Haylie Polistina issued a statement early Thursday evening.

“Together, with our local partners, we are diligently working to ensure motorists are safely escorted from the area to warming centers,” Polistina said.

“The ISP continues to urge the public to use extreme caution and only travel if absolutely necessary,” she said.

(25 NEWS) - Illinois State Police are on the scene of a mass collision on southbound Interstate 39 at mile marker 9.

State Police say the crash scene is several hundred yards long and involves an untold number of vehicles, according to a release.

IDOT is currently shutting down the southbound lanes of the interstate at El Paso.

Traffic is being diverted from I-39 at exit 14 (El Paso) onto Illinois 251 to bypass the crash.

State Police also say one squad car has been struck, but no one was injured.

Police say the accident occurred at around 3:13 p.m.

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