This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Fresh snowfall and subfreezing temperatures combined to make for a slow and treacherous commute Tuesday morning.
The Utah Highway Patrol reported its troopers responded to dozens of minor crashes and slideoffs along the Wasatch Front as drivers struggled to find traction on roads where snow had blanketed existing patches of ice.
Two crashes in Midvale — one on northbound Interstate 15 near 7200 South and another on a ramp connecting Interstate 215 to I-15 — caused no serious injuries but did reduce traffic through those areas to a crawl as of 6 a.m.
Until mid-morning, eastbound semi-trailer rigs were being required to don tire chains to traverse Parleys Canyon, while both Big and Little Cottonwood canyons were restricted to 4-wheel drive and chained vehicles.
Another crash on Bangerter Highway near 1700 South involved three vehicles. No injuries were immediately reported in that accident, but travel once again was slowed during the height of the commute until wreckage was cleared.
A police incident involving a suicidal man, not icy conditions, was to blame for closure of the area of I-15 near University Avenue in Provo. By 7:30 a.m., a dispatcher said, a man who apparently had threatened to jump from a overpass was talked into surrendering by police negotiators.
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