Heavy snow in Parleys Canyon caused significant delays for morning commuters.
According to the Utah Department of Transportation, travelers from I-215 to Kimball Junction faced a two-and-a-half-hour commute around 8:30 a.m. That’s because the slick roads stalled trucks around Lambs Canyon.
Utah’s traction law also went into effect in Parleys Canyon in the morning hours, which requires vehicles to have snow tires, chains or other traction devices.
The wet weather also caused delays in the Park City and Heber areas. A jack-knifed semi at the eastbound Interstate 80 on-ramp to Summit Park moved vehicles to the right shoulder.
UDOT Region 2 spokesperson Kylar Sharp said crews couldn’t pre-treat roads.
“If the storm comes in wet, so as rain first, which last night's storm did, it's kind of hard to pre-treat, because when we put that salt down for pre-treating the rain just washes it away,” he said.
However, Sharp said crews still fought the storm throughout the night. When the snow picked up around 7 a.m., crews were in the middle of cleanup efforts.
Sharp said the storm hit at a bad time, leaving snow plows stuck in traffic.
“Our crews were prepped and ready to go, but it was just one of those commuter specials, I'd say, where the storm hits real hard, right when everybody's going to work,” he said. “Everybody kind of had a delay in traffic.”
On and off snow showers are expected Wednesday through Friday as well. However, Sharp expects traffic delays won’t be as significant the rest of the week. If snow is falling early in the morning, he recommends travelers plan ahead and either leave early or delay their commutes.
