Icy roads cause problems for morning commuters

Nicole Gonzales reporting Icy roads and windy condition are causing a lot of problems for drivers along the Wasatch Front.

The latest round of snow left the roads wet overnight, and when the temperature hit the teens things got messy. Nile Easton, with the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) says, "It only takes a few feet of ice to cause somebody to slide off."

The winds are picking up and 5400 S. Bangerter Highway, in particular, has been terrible all morning long. Some officers described it as an ice rink.

This morning, there was a major accident in this area that caused nearly a mile of backup. Five cars were involved in an accident. Ice on the roads and excessive speeds are being blamed for the crash. No one was injured, thankfully, and because today is the day after a storm, drivers may have been caught off guard by the weather.

UDOT says it is trying to make the roads as safe as possible. Easton says, "We're really focused on trying to get the off-ramps clear, trying to get the shoulders cleared. You don't think about the shoulders when there's snow there that could be a problem. But what happens when the sun hits that, it melts, rolls into the road, and if the sun goes down or shade hits it--either from the mountains, buildings, whatever--it re-ices up again. So the road will look clear, but in fact it's not."

Earlier this morning a car slid into a power pole near 900 South and 700 East. Another slide off involved a vehicle and a plow truck driver.

The UHP says that in Salt Lake County alone there have been more than 75 accidents so far today. They're also reporting 15 slide-offs.

Both Utah and Davis counties haven't been as bad as Salt Lake County today. Utah County is reporting 10 accidents and two slide-offs.

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