SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 21, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — An early spring storm created a challenge for Utah drivers Sunday, as an early morning mix of rain and snow turned a number of roadways into skating rinks.
The Utah Highway Patrol is urging drivers to slow down after two of their patrol vehicles were involved separate crashes along Interstate 15. According to a UHP statement posted on social media, one trooper’s vehicle was hit on the 7200 South bridge structure, while a second was in a collision near 500 South.
“It’s especially important to slow down this morning as we’ve had two troopers’ vehicles hit,” the UHP tweet said. “One on the 7200 South structure and one at 500 South, both on I-15. No injuries on the one at 72, but our trooper at 500 South is getting checked out for what appear to be minor injuries.”
The National Weather Service in Salt Lake City said the dangerous road conditions were being driven in part by bands of lake effect snow, which were forecast to linger into Sunday evening. The soggy weather comes on the heels of a record day for precipitation in Salt LakeCity. Rain totals at Salt Lake International Airport Saturday measured 0.85 inches, the highest since spring records began being kept in 1874.
The UHP said drivers needed to be extra careful, especially on bridges and overpasses.
“We need to let people getting behind the wheel this morning know that the roads are a bit treacherous,” the UHP tweeted. “There’s ice on most of the bridges in the Salt Lake valley and the benches are seeing additional problems on the roadways. Troopers are working multiple crashes.”
For the latest on Utah road conditions, go to the UDOT website.
