Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — At least half a dozen crashes on northbound I-15 caused officials to temporarily shut down a stretch the freeway Thursday night.
The crashes started at 6600 South and went up to 3300 South, according to Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce. Highway patrol troopers closed multiple lanes at about 8 p.m., and later closed the entire freeway so they could clear accident debris and salt the road.
“Looks like overpasses are freezing in that area,” Royce said.
He added that no one was injured in any of the crashes.
The freeway was expected to reopen shortly after midnight, according to officials from the Utah Department of Transportation.
The crashes were part of a larger trend of weather-related accidents in the state throughout the day. Westbound I-80 was shut down for almost 11 hours Thursday after an overnight crash between two semitrailers. Later, at about 7:45 a.m., a multi-vehicle accident on I-15 near Lehi prompted officials to close down a section of the southbound freeway for nearly an hour.
Royce advised all drivers to slow down on the roads.
“Just be aware of black ice tonight,” he said. “Just be extra careful.”
Another closure occurred Thursday evening on I-84 at the Utah-Idaho border due to severe weather, according to UDOT officials. Drivers were advised to take I-15 to westbound I-86 at Pocatello, or to not drive at all. For more information on the I-84 closure, visit 511.idaho.gov.
Scattered snow will linger overnight and into the day on Friday with an additional 1 to 3 inches in the valleys and 2 to 4 inches on the benches, according to KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank. Lake effect bands will add to those totals, especially east of the Great Salt Lake in parts of Salt Lake and Davis counties. The storm will move east by Friday night.
This article will be updated as more information becomes available. Tune in to KSLNewsradio and KSL 5 for live updates Friday morning.
