Icy Roads From Mid-April Snowstorm Causing Messy Morning Commute
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A day after a rare mid-April snowstorm dumped up to 8.5 inches of snow in the Chicago area, drivers were spinning out on icy roads all over the city and suburbs, with bridges and overpasses especially slick.
An 11-vehicle crash on the outbound Eisenhower Expressway closed all lanes at the Ida B. Wells Drive entrance ramp shortly after 6 a.m. Traffic was being diverted to the outbound Kennedy Expressway.
MAJOR problem downtown. No one able to get to the OB Ike due to a multi-vehicle crash (at least 11 vehicles involved) right at the Byrne Interchange. WB Traffic on Ida B Wells forced to use OB Kennedy. pic.twitter.com/86owHv1ImW
— Jeanette Hudson (@JHudsontraffic) April 15, 2019
Another crash also shut down the outbound Dan Ryan Expressway ramp to the inbound Stevenson Expressway and Lake Shore Drive shortly after 7 a.m.
Another ramp, another spinout crash. This time it's the ramp from the OB Dan Ryan to the Stevenson. Access to IB Stevenson/Lake Shore Dr completely blocked. You can still exit onto the OB Stevenson. Traffic is a mess though. pic.twitter.com/uxldRTq3i4
— Jeanette Hudson (@JHudsontraffic) April 15, 2019
Meantime, CTA Blue line trains had major delays during the morning commute, after an SUV that slid off the expressway came to a stop near the CTA Blue Line tracks near Rosemont around 5:30 a.m., leaving debris on the tracks. Blue Line service was suspended between Cumberland and O'Hare for more than two hours before trains began running to O'Hare again around 8 a.m. The CTA said major delays were expected to continue Monday morning.
We apologize for the severe delays. Svc on Blue Line is disrupted w/ longer wait times & crowding due to the incident at Rosemont. Sending some trains express is an active strategy we and other major agencies use to help recover from a delay more quickly: https://t.co/GjvdH5Q8FQ
— cta (@cta) April 15, 2019
The Illinois Department of Transportation said Minutemen crews were swamped with calls for crashes and spin-outs on icy roads all across the northern part of the Chicago area.
Illinois State Police said major problem areas included the Eisenhower Expressway at the Jane Byrne Interchange, the Eisenhower at Cicero, and Interstate 57 at 147th Street.
So far, no major injuries have been reported.