Snowstorm Creates Hazardous Commute

WOODLAND PARK – A storm dumped snow across our area Friday morning and made for a messy and dangerous day on roads. The snow started falling in some spots before 4:30 a.m. At times, the heavy, wet snow was coming down so hard visibility on Highway 24 was next to nothing. The conditions caused two different semi-trucks to jackknife on the highway. Snow piling up on the road and slush freezing over made the conditions treacherous. The semis lost control and other vehicles were slipping and sliding up and down Ute Pass. The accidents caused significant back ups and traffic was at a crawl for more than an hour during the morning commute and conditions didn’t improve much throughout the morning. Further west on Highway 24, Woodland Park got at least 4-inches of snow in areas. It didn’t stop falling all morning and into Friday afternoon. CDOT and Teller County sent out plows, but with traffic melting some of the snow, it made for a sheet of ice on Highway 24 through town.

One driver commuting into Colorado Springs says she’s just taking it slow. “I just drove across town from my son’s school and people were just sliding all over the place,” says Woodland Park resident Carrie Strause. Colorado Springs didn’t miss out on this storm. Downtown, snow started collecting along Tejon, creating some ice and slush for commuters. As the storm cells moved over the city, conditions changed quickly and snow fell hard in some spots, piling up before plows could clear it. With the heavy wet snow, water is pooling up along the highway. Hydroplaning could become a problem.