Spring snow results in numerous crashes
Commuters faced a bracing wake up Monday morning as an early spring snowstorm resulted in slick spots and accidents throughout the area.
Snow that began before dawn intensified as the morning rush went on. State and local crews were out in force plowing and salting and emergency dispatchers said the going was slow everywhere. Air travel also was delayed.
At about 7:30 a.m. the Illinois Department of Transportation reported that snow was falling throughout the area and there were scattered slick spots in quite a few locations. Woodstock, Hillside and the Oakbrook area were slippery and motorists were advised to take is slow and not to forget their winter driving skills just yet.
State crews were out in full force with about 200 trucks salting since 9 p.m. Sunday.
"In the morning rush, the trucks continue to be on the roadways, tackling the snow, trying to keep the roads, bridges and ramps as clear as possible. The pavement has been relatively warm, which works in our favor because it melts snow faster and allows the salt to work more effectively," said Spokeswoman Carson Quinn. The agency will remain stay out through the rush, she added.
At about 7:30 a.m. in Lake County, one of the four northbound lanes of I-94 at Grand Avenue in Gurnee was reported blocked by the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority and the Lake County Division of Transportation reported that Route 83 between Lake Street and Washington Street was closed due to a crash. Heavy delays also were reported on Rollins Road near Hook Drive in Round Lake Beach, Route 176 west of Roberts Road in Island Lake and Route 59 north of Route 22 in North Barrington due to crashes.
Throughout the morning, the tollway reported lane blockages on eastbound I-90 west of Higgins Road and on the Tri-State southbound at Willow Road.
"It's still coming down. We have all of our plows operations out on the streets," said David Brown, Vernon Hills public works director and village engineer. He said 16 trucks and pickups were plowing and salting. He described the snowfall as a typical late season storm and crews began work at their normal time Monday morning.
"If things were a lot worse, they (police) would have called us in much earlier," Brown said.
In Libertyville, 2 inches had fallen by about 8 a.m., according to John Heinz, public works director. Heinz was traveling on Route 31 and was in St. Charles on his way to Springfield.
"It's a mess everywhere," he said.
Metra reported delays of up to 15 minutes on the outbound Milwaukee District North Line to Fox Lake 15 due to late arrival of equipment caused by earlier mechanical problems.
A winter weather advisory in effect until noon, according to the National Weather Service. Moderate to temporarily heavy snow was expected through the morning commute with accumulations of 2 to 4 inches north of I-80 and 3 to 5 inches along and north of a line from Dixon to Waukegan. Snow cold possibly mix with rain after 2 p.m. then gradually ending. The high temperature will be near 34 degrees.
The Federal Aviation Administration reported that a Traffic Management Program is in effect for arrivals at O'Hare International Airport, which is causing some arriving flights to be delayed an average of 40 minutes. No destination-specific delays are being reported.