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OREM — A slick mess of animal fat forced the closure of westbound U.S. 189 near the mouth of Provo Canyon Saturday afternoon, slowing traffic to a crawl.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers said approximately 150 to 200 gallons of animal fat was spilled across the highway just before 4 p.m. The mess combined with the cold temperatures caused ice-like conditions, prompting troopers to close the westbound lanes at 800 North.
Traffic was diverted onto 800 North for several hours as road crews worked to spread salt on top of the fat, in hopes of making it less slippery.
Lanes were reopened at about 5:15 p.m., but traffic was still slow in the area.
Troopers don't know where the animal fat came from, but they suspect it fell off a truck. They plan to investigate further to determine exactly what happened.
