SALT LAKE CITY -- The Wasatch Front is getting a taste of winter-like weather, which is likely to continue through Wednesday.

Round one Tuesday morning blanketed the mountains with snow and dropped a rain/snow mix along roads in time for the morning commute.

Storm's effect on road construction

The cold, stormy day meant a lot of road construction projects slowed down, but they didn't stop altogether.

At the Utah Department of Transportation's Traffic Operation's Center Tuesday, meteorologists help engineers like Tony Lau plan around bad weather.

Lau says, short term, the weather makes a significant impact on projects where it has to be so warm or so dry for things to happen. But long term, the delays are built into bids.

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In some cases, though, barrels are moved out of the way for storms.

"So that when the plows come through, that they're not pushing everything over and creating an unsafe environment," Lou explained. "And once the storm's over, we'll dig the barrels out of the snow, and we'll get ‘em back out there."

Even where they aren't moved, Lau says contractors are required, at least four times a day, to check the barrels and make sure weather or plows haven't moved them.

Accidents caused by Tuesday's storm

As for Tuesday's storm, a few accidents were reported in Salt Lake County. Redwood Road was closed for a short time between 9400 South and 9800 South due to an accident involving a school bus, a garbage truck and a city water truck. It happened around 7:10 a.m.

South Jordan Fire Battalion Chief Andrew Butler said three people on the school bus were treated on scene and released to private vehicles that took them to their destinations. Two children were on the bus but were not injured.

The driver of the tanker truck and garbage truck were both taken to local hospitals as a precaution because of minor injuries.

Butler said the exact cause of the crash is under investigation, but the snowy weather could have been a factor.

Earlier, a semi jackknifed on southbound Interstate 15 near 10600 South. It's unclear if that accident was weather-related.

Guardsman Pass, from Brighton to Midway, has been temporarily closed as crews attempt to clear the road. The pass may be reopened later this week depending upon snowfall depths and the success of snow removal efforts.

More snow expected

Snow also fell in parts of Weber, Davis and Tooele counties. Snow was sticking to the highway in Sardine and Weber canyons. An inch of snow was reported on the ground in North Ogden.

This first major winter storm of the season is expected to barrel across northern Utah for much of two days as a sharp cold front enters the state.

The valleys could receive 1 to 2 inches of snow, with 2 to 5 inches along the benches by the time the storm moves out. Heavy snow was expected in the mountains with accumulations of up to two feet by Wednesday evening.

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Story compiled with contributions from Marc Giauque, Andrew Adams, Randall Jeppesen and The Associated Press.

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