SPOKANE, Wash. — Road crews are slowly starting to get the upper hand on icy roads around the Spokane area on Friday afternoon after the slick conditions caused problems for drivers in the morning.
Snow on Thursday and temperatures well below freezing turned the roads into ice rinks. Snow crews have been out all day working on the roads. In Spokane, arterials and hills have been the focus with crews using a granular deicer and salt. However, the city warned that side roads are still slick and suggested drivers allow extra time.
KREM 2's mobile StormTracker checked on streets in downtown Spokane at noon. There was a noticeable improvement, though slick conditions did still exist in some sports.
Spokane County said its crews are working with graders in areas that received more snow and focusing on putting down sand and granular deicer at intersections, hills, curves and bridges.
Ice and snow on side roads could last throughout the day as temperatures have stayed below freezing.
The slick Friday morning commute follows a difficult drive home on Thursday night for drivers. KREM 2 Photojournalist Dave Somers took a video of Havana-Yale Road and 17th Avenue, which he said was a "parking lot." The video shows cars stuck, stopped and sliding down the road. A school bus is also stopped at the top of the hill.
The Spokane Police Department (SPD) issued an emergency alert at 7:15 p.m. requesting residents to limit their driving if at all possible due to extremely icy road conditions. SPD responded to more than 100 accidents on Thursday. In a Facebook post, they reminded drivers to leave early, slow down and be patient while driving.