UDOT asks commuters to delay travel Wednesday as snow continues to fall

SALT LAKE CITY — Restrictions are in place for several northern Utah canyons as more snow continued to fall Tuesday. And forecasters say avalanche danger remains extremely high.

Utah Department of Transportation issued a travel advisory for Wednesday morning along the Wasatch Front. UDOT official John Gleason said the department is asking people to delay travel until 10 a.m. due to road conditions. Valleys along the I-15 corridor are expecting snow totals of 4-6 inches and Cottonwood canyons expect to see 20-25 inches, according to UDOT.

"With this much snow expected, we've got to put safety first," Gleason said in a statement. "If drivers can stay off the roads tomorrow morning, they can avoid the worst of the weather, and give our crews a chance to remove the snow from the highways."

Roadway restrictions

Westbound U.S. 40 from Heber to Fruitland requires traction devices, chains or four-wheel drive, according to UDOT in a tweet.

State Route 210 through Little Cottonwood Canyon is closed for avalanche control and will remain closed for the rest of the day Tuesday, the Utah Department of Transportation tweeted.

As of 9:40 a.m., the town of Alta was under an interlodge order until further notice, meaning that anyone in town must stay inside a public or private building due to avalanche danger. Alta and Snowbird resorts will also be closed for the rest of the day Tuesday.

State Route 190 in Big Cottonwood Canyon was also closed Tuesday morning due to avalanche control work, UDOT said, but reopened shortly after noon. The canyon closed again at 2:15 p.m. to uphill traffic below the S-curves, and at 2:30 p.m. to downhill traffic at Cardiff. The closures were lifted at 3:27 p.m., UDOT said.

S.R. 190 will be closed again overnight due to avalanche hazards and road safety, announced Salt Lake County Emergency Management. Uphill traffic expected to close at the mouth and downhill traffic at Cardiff around 9 p.m. until around 4 a.m., according to officials.

Any vehicles traveling in Big Cottonwood and Little Cottonwood canyons are required to have chains or four-wheel drive.

Chains or four-wheel drive are also required most of the day for all vehicles driving on state Route 224 over Empire Pass in Summit County; the restrictions continued into the evening.

In southern Utah, state Route 143 is closed from milepost 18, south of Brian Head, to milepost 28, at the Iron-Garfield county line, due to inclement weather, according to UDOT. State Route 25 was closed Tuesday morning from the state Route 24 junction to Fish Lake but reopened Tuesday afternoon, UDOT said.

Snowplows spent the day clearing highways along the Wasatch Front, but freeway ramps and overpasses remained slick with several crashes or slide-offs early Tuesday morning, the KSL Traffic Center reported.

'Extreme' avalanche danger

Most counties along the Wasatch Front got snow overnight with more to come throughout the day, according to KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman. The valleys can expect another 3 to 6 inches of snow before this storm ends Wednesday evening, Weyman said.

Avalanche danger is extreme for the Uinta and Salt Lake-area mountains and is rated high for all other Utah mountains along the I-15 corridor, from Logan to St. George, according to the Utah Avalanche Center. Danger is considerable for the Abajos and Moab-area mountains in southeast Utah.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches are certain in the Salt Lake-area mountains, the avalanche center said. Anyone going near the mountains in the Salt Lake area is urged not to go under or near any steep slope.

UDOT's avalanche crews have instituted a closure of all terrain north of Little Cottonwood Creek from Gate B to Grizzly Gulch in Little Cottonwood Canyon due to avalanche danger. The terrain closure extends 1,000 meters into Big Cottonwood Canyon, and the terrain is not expected to open until Wednesday.

Get the complete forecast at the KSL Weather Page. Check traffic conditions and commute times at the KSL Traffic Page. More traffic and weather information is also available via UDOT's Commuterlink website at udottraffic.utah.gov.

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