Blinding blizzard blasts region / LJWorld.com

Archive for Sunday, December 23, 2007

Slick roads snarl traffic, killing at least one on I-70

December 23, 2007

Neil Goss, a Kansas University freshman, left, gets some cover from his mother, Lori Goss, both from Pratt, as they shop downtown Saturday during a blustery snowfall.

Heavy snowfall that lasted for most of Saturday wreaked havoc on Lawrence and the surrounding region, causing vehicle pileups and numerous accidents that killed at least one person.

The snowfall surpassed predictions of 1 to 3 inches, slathering Lawrence with nearly 5 inches.

Sarah Jones, 6News meteorologist, said she received reports of thunder about noon Saturday, and that ice could be a worry during the night. She expected snow to dissipate overnight.

Jones said temperatures today would be below freezing, but that sunny skies would melt the snow, making driving easier.

An enormous accident on Interstate 70 closed a 40-mile stretch of road, as authorities tried to sort out the 32-vehicle pileup that killed one person. No more information on the deceased person was available.

Traffic was stopped in both directions. Eastbound traffic was diverted on Kansas Highway 177 and across to U.S. Highway 24. Westbound traffic was detoured to U.S. 75, then across to U.S. 24. Interstate 70 was expected to reopen late Saturday.

Lawrence resident Lowell Holmes was returning from Junction City when he was diverted to U.S. 24. He said traffic was proceeding at a slow 5 to 10 mph and visibility got worse as he approached Topeka.

"The only way you could see where the road was, was by following the car in front of you," Holmes said.

He said the trip, which usually takes him about 90 minutes, took six and a half hours. Holmes said he saw about 15 vehicles that had slid into ditches, but few that appeared to have caused injuries. He said the roads, though packed with snow, improved the closer he got to Lawrence.

The Kansas Department of Transportation battled the snow since it started falling, about 10:30 a.m., said spokeswoman Kimberly Qualls. She said KDOT's entire fleet of trucks was deployed to plow and treat roads with a salt and sand mixture.

She said snow drifting across roadways created a constant challenge.

"At this point, until the roads can get cleared, it's still going to be hazardous for vehicles to be out there on the roadways," Qualls said. She warned motorists to stay off the road unless it was necessary.

In Douglas County, the sheriff's office responded to more than 20 slide-offs and minor accidents. Lt. Kari Wempe said none involved injuries.

"The major concerns today after the snow started falling were K-10, U.S. 56 and U.S. 59. The majority of the slide-offs that we worked were on K-10," Wempe said.

Slick roads on Kansas University's campus snarled traffic for about an hour after the KU's men's basketball victory against Miami University. KU Public Safety said traffic worsened after vehicles could no longer proceed uphill, north on Naismith Drive.

Mike Perkins, operations division manager for Douglas County Public Works, said snow-packed roads made it difficult to battle the slick conditions. He said his entire fleet plowed and applied salt and sand throughout the day. His team's efforts were hampered by gusts of wind that reached nearly 30 mph.

"The wind is the worst," he said. "Once the wind dies down, I think we'll get a better handle on it."

Even with snow plastering much of the Midwest, temperatures are expected to warm up, reaching into the 40s on Christmas Day, Jones said. She predicted the next snowfall would be Wednesday.

Discussion

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23 December 2007
at 7:22 a.m.

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yankeelady (Anonymous) says…

We were in that mess after the basketball game. When we came out of the lot behind the Burge Union, the KU police were sending all the cars UP Daisy Hill. We were lucky and could turn around. Then when the road was completely blocked the genius took down one of the barricades and starting sending cars back east, towards Murphy Hall. The office down there banged on our hood and wanted to know why we were going that way. Noting was moving up the hill but it took them 45 minutes to figure out that they had a problem.
Luckily everybody was relatively patient and finally got out. It might have gone smoother had KUPD realized that most cars weren't going to make it up that hill.
23 December 2007
at 9:28 a.m.

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sundancewierdo (Anonymous) says…

the problem here is that the city of lawrence neglected to plow, or even throw down salt and sand. they did nothing. i've driven through town 6 times since the storm began and there is no evidence of any effort to clear the streets. did they spend all of thier budget money taking care of the recent “ice storm”? they should have gotten out before noon yesterday even though it hadn't finished snowing. i did not see any city trucks with plows on them at all yesterday. they really dropped the ball, especially knowing there were 16 or 17 thousand people trying to leave a basketball game.
23 December 2007
at 10:55 a.m.

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backyardwino (Anonymous) says…

Just drove back from KC via K-10 the road was in perfect condition up to the douglas county line and then it was as if nothing was done. Vehicles were littered along the road and people were standing around in shock. We were lucky-a little sliding, but no wreck, but then we were taking it s l o w. Seems like joco was prepared… Douglas county gets the wag of the finger today.
23 December 2007
at 11:01 a.m.

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Cinja (Anonymous) says…

Now I know because you are all so “special” that you think the road from your house to wherever you're going (stores, church, Starbucks or McDonalds) should be cleared and dry 10 minutes after it snows but when my husband comes home from a 12 hour shift of plowing the roads of Lawrence (with all of you crazy drivers) he deserves some thanks. He is doing exactly as his boss tells him to do. So grow up. Life isn't all about you.
23 December 2007
at 11:12 a.m.

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Valkyrie_of_Reason (Kathy Getto) says…

I, for one, truly appreciate the workers that clear our roads. Unless one has actually done the job, they should keep their selfish comments to themselves.

Hope the roads going West stay clear so we can see our grandbabies!
23 December 2007
at 11:46 a.m.

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sdinges (Anonymous) says…

If you want roads cleaned quickly, then you need to go live somewhere that gets more Winter precipitation!

I have lived in various cities in Ontario, and in all of them snow and ice were dealt with quickly and efficiently. But then, those are places where having an army of snow plows and other winter road work vehicles is worthwhile and makes budgetary sense. As a result, schools and other events are rarely canceled due to Winter weather, and the road is usually clear before you wake up for work.

Here in Lawrence (and throughout the prairies), we just don't get enough snow and ice to justify spending the money. The truth is, we can go entire months without seeing a snowflake, or a drop of rain, and most snow/ice melts within a day or two.

It's something you'll just have to learn to deal with, and remind yourself that you could be living somewhere that gets 5 inches of snow or more each and every week of Winter, instead of just once per season!
23 December 2007
at 11:57 a.m.

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Cinja (Anonymous) says…

Thanks for recognizing the guys who are out doing the plowing! Wish there were more like you!

23 December 2007
at 12:25 p.m.

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touringdriver (Anonymous) says…

i've driven in a lot of snow. and if you take your time and don't spin the tires like a morron, the tires will stay cooler and get traction better. but if you spin them like a nut on fire, you'll get the tires heated up and will not get as good traction. don't need snow plows, sand and salt. it's only 5 inches of snow. relax, take extra time and don't spin them tires. DUH!
23 December 2007
at 12:27 p.m.

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onrywmn (Anonymous) says…

I appreciate all of the work the snowplowdrivers do. It is a hard job with long hours. Bless you and your families!! If we depended on all of you whiners to do the job, no one would be able to get out at all! Happy Holidays!!
23 December 2007
at 12:44 p.m.

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00jester (Anonymous) says…

I don't think anyone is saying anything bad about the drivers. They are just doing what they are told. I think what is meant is that those in charge should have a better game plan to get the major roads as clear as they can and keep it that way.
23 December 2007
at 3:55 p.m.

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akt2 (Anonymous) says…

The county roads were very good. The hill going east out of town on 15th was well sanded and graded. Old 10 was in good shape too around midnight last night. City of Lawrence and City of Eudora streets were bad. Even the hospital route on Maine to LMH was not well taken care of. There were 3 slide offs within 30 minutes on k-10 west bound around noon today. Mile markers 6, 9 and 12. Road conditions are still not good enough to drive 70mph folks.
23 December 2007
at 3:55 p.m.

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Bitterfalls (Anonymous) says…

I drove from Lawrence to Topeka to Kansas City and back home last night and didn't have any problem. I-70 was OK. It was just in the cities that things got a bit dicey.

The people that get stuck, or wreck are generally the idiots who don't know how to drive and usually think they know how to drive better then everyone else.

But getting stuck, or sliding out of control on sheet-ice areas of road can happen to anyone. The trick is to just stay off of those areas.

I always enjoy it when I am taking my time on I-70 in bad weather. Just being careful, reducing my speed and sticking to the clearest lane and not outrunning my headlights. And THEN some j@ck@ass comes up from behind doing 65 or 70, honking and shaking his fist and generally thinking he knows how to drive and everyone else is a hindrance to his progress. It is kind of satisfying to see them a few miles later, off in the ditch, stuck, and standing by their vehical (Usually a truck or SUV) scratching their head and wondering why no one wants to stop and help them out.

I would not have made my trip last night if I did not absolutely have to. I would have been more then happy to just stay home and read a book.
23 December 2007
at 4:19 p.m.

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ljwreader1 (Anonymous) says…

Hopefully, cinja's husband won't be razzed too much at work for her “quit picking on my man” whine. Oh, and thank you Mr. cinja's husband for listening to a stupid boss, working a twelve hour shift and plowing the streets.
23 December 2007
at 5:02 p.m.

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Pywacket (Anonymous) says…

Please, cinja—read 00jester's comment (which you couldn't figure out yourself) and chill out. Nobody's picking on your man. Why do people go out of their way to look for offense when none is meant?

Sdinges makes some excellent points, too. As badly as we would like the roads to be cleared more quickly (because of extra trucks & sand, cinja, not because anybody thinks the workers are slacking off), it would not be practical to spend that much on resources that are simply not used that much in most years.

Finally—as several have pointed out, if everybody would just slow down and drive sensibly and courteously, there would be far fewer wrecks and slide-offs, regardless of the local, county, or state street-clearing resources.
23 December 2007
at 5:51 p.m.

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perkins (Anonymous) says…

Overland Park does a great job of clearing the streets; even the side streets get bladed within a few days of a large snowfall.

23 December 2007
at 6:45 p.m.

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ukillaJJ (Anonymous) says…

I think we can safely blame the city of Lawrence for doing absolutely nothing to ensure the safety of the roads.

No salt, no sand, no anti-icing solution. Oh yeah, and thanks for making a pitiful attempt of snow plowing the roads during the middle of the afternoon the day after the storm when it is about 45-50 degrees outside.

Still, most of the roads are barely driveable, and potholes are cropping up everywhere as well. It's nice to see my tax dollars hard at work.
23 December 2007
at 11:09 p.m.

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riverdrifter (Anonymous) says…

Five-inch snow and a little wind and ye whines like sissies.
How would you like to be on the Walter J Mcarthy Jr tonight, eh, off Duluth harbour on, Gitchee Gummee.
Shoot.

Walter J. McCarthy Jr. At anchor waiting at Anchor: off Duluth piers for weather. Fueling on arrival. Arriving 12/23 or 12/24 as weather permits. Weather 12/23: 30-40 knots with whiteout conditions 1977 1000 USA
23 December 2007
at 11:16 p.m.

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denak (Anonymous) says…

No disrespect to the men and women who plow out streets, but I had the same experience as backstreetwino. I drove to Overland Park this morning around 9:00 a.m. From Lawrence to just past Eurdora, K-10 was a mess. At one time, I was driving 30 mph just so I wouldn't slide. We counted 11 cars off the road. Almost as soon as I hit the Johnson County line, K-10 was plowed.

On the way back it was even better in Johnson County. As soon as we got west of Eudora, we had to slow down again.

And not to pick on the plow drivers, the only two plows I saw yesterday was one in the Target parking lot around noon and it was only plowing Target and other in my complex around 8 p.m. and it was only doing the complex.
I don't know what the city was doing but it didn't look like it was doing anything.

Dena

P.S. Also, did the T stop running around 2:00 p.m. The only bus I saw was downtown and I've heard some people say they got stranded outside because the buses stopped running. If so, then someone at the T needs to explain why they thought it was neccessary to strand people out in the freezing cold in the middle of a blizzard.
24 December 2007
at midnight

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GretchenJP (Anonymous) says…

Baking Bunnies Beat Brownies! Film at 11.
24 December 2007
at 10:25 a.m.

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VoiceOfReason (Anonymous) says…

I have nothing against the plow drivers…I'm sure they did the jobs they were assigned. And I had no “trouble” driving because I know how to drive in snow and ice (it turns into ice when it melts a little and refreezes on the highway). It wasn't difficult driving, but it is frustrating trying to understand why Douglas County is so much worse than Johnson. I work at night in Overland Park and left very early last night because of the comments I heard about K-10. It was snowy and icy along long stretches…until the Johnson County border. At that point, it cleared up and the road was completely dry. Clearly, someone in Douglas County planning doesn't know how to prevent ice buildup. Coming home this morning it was still clear to the Dg county line, then snow packed in large areas. Just copy Jo county's plan.