Warm Spell Causes Danger on Roads

Eagle River, Hillside have especially hazardous conditions

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By Kate McPherson
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Story Created: Feb 9, 2012 at 9:17 PM AKDT

Story Updated: Feb 10, 2012 at 10:27 AM AKDT

ANCHORAGE - Warmer temperatures and freezing rain created dangerous road conditions in Eagle River and parts of Anchorage Thursday.

Emergency service workers are asking everyone to slow down as they respond to numerous ditch-divers around town.

The slick roads in the Hillside area left some residents unable to get to work today and the Anchorage School District this morning closed four high schools, four middle schools and 14 elementary schools in South Anchorage, Eagle River and Chugiak.

School district officials say they got the word out as quickly as possible. The ASD sends out a team of drivers over night to check the roads and Thursday morning made their first call the superintendent at around 4:15 a.m., advising on the dangerous conditions.

“The conditions were radically different across Anchorage. In Westside it's typical winter driving conditions but Chugiak, Eagle River and the Hillside was glare-ice in most neighborhoods,” said Steve Kalmes, Director of Transportation with the Anchorage School District.

By 7 a.m. this morning all state-owned highways and roads had been sanded and were passable using normal winter driving conditions. However, residential roads were still very slick and some reports say rural roads are in some cases "impassable." Starting around 7 p.m. Wednesday night rain fell on cold pavement causing the icy conditions.
 

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