The Maine Turnpike Authority reported numerous car accidents and slide-offs Sunday night as stretches of the highway became coated with dangerous black ice.

Dan Morin, a spokesman for the MTA, said a tractor-trailer jackknifed across the northbound lanes of the turnpike — between Falmouth and Gray — around 5 p.m. forcing police to close that section of the road for almost an hour.

Multiple motor vehicle accidents were reported around 5:30 p.m. in the northbound lanes of the turnpike near the Kennebunk service plaza. Morin said that while police were able to keep two lanes open to traffic, the accidents and icy road conditions in that area had “brought traffic to a standstill.”

“Road conditions are very bad right now,” Morin said Sunday night. “During the daylight hours, things were fine but the roads were wet and once the sun set and temperatures dropped, it froze everything out there.”