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SALT LAKE CITY — Another day, another messy commute throughout the Wasatch Front.
A new round of snow snarled Thursday's morning commute around northern Utah. The Utah Highway Patrol responded to 95 various crashes on highways and freeways in Salt Lake and Utah counties alone during the first few hours of the morning commute, according to UHP Sgt. Nick Street.
However, crashes continued throughout the day. In all, 154 crashes across the state were reported and investigated by Thursday evening, Street said, a day after a winter storm resulted in 75 crashes on Utah highways.
Troopers only investigate crashes that result in injury, more than $1,500 in damage or damage to government property, according to Street. Others, like slide-offs or crashes with minor damage, weren't reported or investigated by troopers.
About 5:30 p.m., multiple crashes on eastbound state Route 201, just before 3200 West, involving 16 cars forced the shutdown of the highway, according to Street.
By 9 p.m., all lanes on the eastbound side of SR-201 had reopened. There were only minor injuries in the crashes, Street said.
Earlier in the evening, multiple crashes caused significant delays in both directions of state Route 210 in Little Cottonwood Canyon near Tanners Flat Campground, about 8 miles up the canyon, UDOT reported. By 9 p.m., the crashes were cleared.
Drivers in both Big and Little Cottonwood canyons are required to have either tire chains or four-wheel drive, according to UDOT.
As of 7 p.m., all lanes of Bangerter Highway were reopened after a multi-vehicle crash forced the closure of the northbound side of the highway near 7000 South, according to UDOT.
Around 8 p.m., a Draper City Fire Battalion Chief [was critically injured while assisting with a crash on southbound I-15 near Draper, when a vehicle lost control, struck, and pinned him. The agency tweeted that many of Thursday's crashes were because of speeds too fast for the conditions or drivers following too closely.
"It's simple folks, SLOW DOWN and increase your following distance on wet, slick, snow-packed, and icy roadways!" UHP tweeted.
A majority of the traffic delays were reported in Davis, Salt Lake and Utah counties, according to the KSL Traffic Center.
Several motorists reported to the KSL Traffic Center that morning commutes were delayed by upward of 30 minutes, and up to an hour in some parts of Utah County, at one point. However, most of the snow has now been pushed to the side on the freeways and speeds have increased, the KSL Traffic Center reported.
Much like Wednesday, Street again urged drivers to slow down and be patient on the roads Thursday, especially if surfaces are slick. He added anyone involved in a crash who is able to pull off to the side of the road should do it.
Troopers were responding to accidents as quickly as they could in Utah County Thursday morning, but highway patrol officials warned stranded motorists they may need to wait for some time before a trooper arrives. In a tweet, they urged those who could still drive their cars to make their way off the freeway at the nearest freeway exit and call 911.](https://www.ksl.com/article/46456853/draper-firefighter-critically-injured-after-being-hit-by-car-on-i-15-officials-say)
Utah County roads are extremely slick. PLEASE slow down even more than you think you need to. Troopers are doing their best to respond to crashes, but if you've crashed it may be a while for us to get to you. If your car is driveable, move off to the next exit and call 911.
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) December 27, 2018
Thursday's storm dropped 1.2 inches of snow near the airport. Get the complete weather forecast here.
In preparation for Thursday's storm, the National Weather Service warned motorists to expect the wintry weather to impact travel on I-15, I-70 and I-80, as well as U.S. highways 6, 40 and 89.
KSL meteorologist Kevin Eubank said the storm was expected to wind down Thursday night in northern Utah as skies clear and temperatures drop into the teens, according to the Deseret News.
Clouds will build back up Saturday ahead of a smaller storm on Sunday, Eubank said. An inch or 2 of snow is expected at that point in the Salt Lake Valley.
Check commute times on the KSL traffic page, and get updates every 10 minutes on KSL Newsradio.
Editor's note: Highway patrol officials initially said 20 vehicles were involved in a pile up on state Route 201. They later updated that information to indicate that 16 vehicles were involved in several separate crashes near each other. This article has been updated to reflect that correction.
Contributing: Pat Reavy, Deseret News; Ashley Imlay, Deseret News
