Work underway on U.S. Interstate 40 between Russellville, Arkansas, and Levy was not supposed to impair traffic. Rock, therefore, began his drive home to suburban North Little Rock from a football game at Arkansas Tech without concern. However, a handful of miles from Morrilton, just east of Blackwell on his eastward journey, Rock followed traffic into a seemingly impossible tunnel. It ran under the entire breadth of the interstate with about ten feet of clearance. He and everyone else were required to drive on broad wooden planks. Arkansas Highway Department workers were everywhere in the dim light. Clearly, something was wrong, and Rock and the other drivers began to turn their vehicles around.
