GALESBURG — Poor road conditions shut down Illinois Route 41 Thursday afternoon for about four hours between Monmouth Boulevard in Galesburg and Knox Highway 5, which is just north of Abingdon.

That entire stretch has been under construction by the Illinois Department of Transportation for months for resurfacing work. Three traffic crashes occurred there between 12:15 p.m. and about 12:50 p.m. Thursday.

The roadway was reopened as of about 5:05 p.m. Thursday.

The two crashes near Galesburg, which occurred at about 12:50 p.m. Thursday, were caused by a slippery road. The slick roads were a result of a new type of sealcoat being tested by the construction company, along with a light rain drizzling throughout the area.

Galesburg Fire Battalion Chief Michael McDorman described those roads as of about 1:30 p.m. while a light rain continued to pour on crews working about a mile south of Monmouth Boulevard on Illinois Route 41.

"Very slick. This is a new style of primer for road surfacing and I don't think they were prepared for what it was going to be like under rainy conditions," McDorman said.

Illinois Department of Transportation spokeswoman Kelsea Gurski said crews were laying down a layer of tack coat while the asphalt was exposed. Crews were not expecting the rain storm that hit the area, which mixed with the sealant to create an unsafe road.

Tack coat is laid down before an overlay occurs and needs time to cure and can become tacky. That did not occur, as the rain happened. That sealant was laid down on Route 41 between the area of about Monmouth Boulevard to 3,000 feet south of that, Gorski said.

That area included two rollover crashes Thursday.

"It was just that the tack coat was exposed when that unexpected rain popped up and created those conditions," Gurski said.

The first crash call was at 12:15 p.m. Thursday for a report of a semitrailer jackknifing at Knox Highway 5 and Route 41. That has not been confirmed and few details were available about that incident as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

It was not believed that incident was in a slick road section of Route 41. Illinois State Police Trooper Jason Wilson said there had not been any injuries reported from the incident as of 3 p.m. Thursday.

Then, at about 12:50 p.m. Thursday, Galesburg police and fire were called out to a tow truck that was hauling a vehicle that had rolled over about a mile south of Route 41's intersection with Monmouth Boulevard. While Galesburg fire crews were responding to that call, an alternate fire truck rolled over into a ditch.

That spare truck, which was being used while the main ladder truck was being worked on in Alexis, was believed to be a complete loss.

Galesburg police and fire, along with ISP, the Knox County Sheriff's Department and Illinois Department of Transportation officials, were all present at the crash site closer to Galesburg.

Route 41 was then closed for about four hours Thursday, including about a two-mile stretch where construction crews were focused. The oily feel of the road was only present on the stretch from Monmouth Boulevard to 3,000 feet south of that area, according to Gorski.

On several occasions, cars starting to drive or slow down sounded like a balloon was being squeezed.

IDOT crews were pouring sand onto the road to try to stabilize the roadway for motorists. The sand was intended to add grit or grip to the roadway for the tires of vehicles.

When asked specifically about the roadway condition, Wilson said it would be between the construction company on the job and IDOT to make the roadway safe for motorists to resume travel on it.

"We will do the reports when it comes to liability, but that would fall to civil courts," he said.

"We'll keep it closed until the department of transportation makes a decision on when it can be reopened."

Gorski recommended that motorists slow down on Route 41 overnight Thursday, as crews were planning to lay down asphalt on the roadway Friday morning.

Flaggers are expected along the route between Galesburg and Abingdon overnight, and Gorski said motorists should drive closer to 20 mph on the exposed road rather than the posted speed limit of 55 mph.

Overall, the reconstruction of Route 41 has about four weeks left of work, weather permitting. When asked about liability, Gorski said that is on the contractor "for anything throughout the whole construction project."

Robert Connelly: (309) 343-7181, ext. 266; rconnelly@register-mail.com; @RConnelly_