Watch CBS News

Monday's Messy Commute Could Be Just A Taste Of What's To Come

METRO DETROIT (WWJ) Monday morning's commute was a messy affair, with drivers across the region reporting their trek to work took two or three times as long as usual.

And that's just the beginning.

Snow is expected to fall at a pace of up to one inch an hour this afternoon and into the evening, according to weather reports given to the Oakland County Road Commission. Snow will continue to fall early Tuesday.

"If it continues to snow, if it does what they say it'll do, the roads will continue to be snow covered," said Craig Bryson, spokesman for the Oakland County Road Commission, about the evening commute.

All 106 Oakland County salt trucks were on the road Monday morning and they'll stay on the road all day and into the night, Bryson added.

With snow continuing to fall at a good clip, it will be impossible to keep the roads clear for the afternoon drive. Bryson anticipates that by the time a truck gets to the end of its run, snow will be covering the roads at the beginning of the run.

"It will be snow covered and when you throw into that the afternoon rush, it will probably be pretty messy," Bryson said.

A few inches of snow fell in many areas between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. Monday, about the worst possible timing for snow fall. Traffic was slow, but it kept moving on local roads and freeways.

While kids or their parents sometimes get the day off when snow and ice pile up, it's the opposite for snow plow drivers. They worker harder than ever.

Oakland County salt truck drivers hit the roads at 2 a.m., spraying brine on the roads to keep ice at bay as temperatures later dropped and snow started piling up. Then, they began plowing at 5 a.m.

With Monday morning's messy commute slowed down to a snail's pace by slippery conditions, there will be plenty of work for snow plow drivers to do all day and into tomorrow.

A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 11 p.m.

Even with this morning's snow plow efforts, WWJ's Laura Bonnell reported live from the Lodge Freeway that traffic was crawling at about 5 miles per hour at the height of rush hour. Both eastbound and westbound 696 drivers were also traveling at single digit speeds, and I-75 was marked by numerous spin out accidents.

The National Weather Service expects another 3-5 inches of snow to drop throughout the day, and into early Tuesday.

Monday's forecast calls for a high of 29 degrees and a low of 21. Tuesday will be a windy day with a high of 25.

For real time traffic, CLICK HERE; for complete weather coverage, CLICK HERE. And listen to WWJ Newsradio on your radio, computer, phone or tablet for 24 hour-a-day live news, traffic and weather

 

 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.