WHAT A MESS! First snow of the season brings lots of accidents to Treasure Valley roadways
- Ada County Dispatch reports 17 accidents and 15 slideoffs by 10 a.m.
- Snow fell all night and ended at 6 a.m. just before peak drive time.
- ACHD had 43 plows on the roads to sand and clear all night long.
The first snow of the season brought light flakes all night long that were predictable and not overwhelming for crews at ACHD.
“Our members have been preparing for this since October, so this is really gameday for them, so it’s really been great to get out and work what they’ve been practicing.” says, Jennifer Berenger, Deputy Director of Maintenance for Ada County Highway District.
But that doesn’t mean it was smooth sailing on the roads.
Accidents, primarily slide offs, were all over the place – including a semi-truck accident on I-84 westbound at Eagle that snarled traffic for hours.
ISP Dispatch says there were 17 accidents and 15 reported 10 a.m.
Plow drivers think they know why. “Two o’clock in the morning, there are some people that want to do some Tokyo drifting, spinning out, checking out their cars and they go over curbs and stuff. It happens,” says Zeke Mercado, Senior Equipment Operator.
ACHD had 43 plows on the roads and started putting down magnesium chloride a day in advance.
ITD had plows on the highways throughout the night but it was a constant battle until the snow stopped at about 6 a.m.
It all added up to a long early Friday for plow drivers and commuters.