Snow strangles Chattanooga roads; CARTA cancels service early

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Emergency personnel respond to a multi-vehicle pileup along Interstate 95 in Etna, Maine, about 20 miles west of Bangor, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015, in this photo provided by Maine State Police And Maine Emergency Management.

Bearing the brunt of what is expected to be a large-scale winter storm, Jackson County is virtually shut down after the steady drumbeat of falling snowflakes covered the roads and began causing multiple collisions throughout the county, according to the Jackson County Emergency Management Agency.

"Please don't drive," a spokesman said.

In Tennessee, road crews are "holding their own" at present, said Ken Flynn, director of operations for Region 2.

"We've got people out everywhere and we're plowing and salting, and so far we're keeping even," Flynn said. "We haven't had any bad problems yet, but it's still early in the event."

However, reports of disabled vehicles started piling up TDOT's Twitter feed by 9 p.m., though only a few accidents had been reported.

Tennessee has been aided by the existing salt on the roads from previous snow events, Flynn said, so much residue is already on the roads. Georgia and Alabama, on the other hand, are more likely to experience problems when a significant front comes through.

"They're not as used to this thing as we are," he said.

Typical TDOT procedure is to keep the Interstates clear, then switch to secondary roads as time allows. Currently, crews are keeping all roads clear, but will be pulled toward the Interstate if snow begins to accumulate there, he said.

Inside Chattanooga, the W Road and Roberts Mill Road are closed, with Signal Mountain Road and Taft Highway all but shut down.

Ochs Highway is closed, Hot Water Road to Sludder Road is closed, and there are icy conditions on Amnicola Highway, Highway 153 and Roanake at Wilcox, according to reports from the Chattanooga Police Department and the Hamilton County Sheriff's office.

Carta ended bus service at 7:45 p.m. with plans to delay service until 6:30 a.m. tomorrow. Carta earlier said it would run the bus service until 9:30 p.m. but revised that to 8:30 p.m. and finally stopped service earlier as snow continued to fall on Wednesday.

Bradley County emergency spokesman Stan Clark called the roads in Cleveland and Bradley County "extremely treacherous."

"We are asking that the public please not be out driving unless it is absolutely necessary," said Clark, who noted that emergency call volume was high and a "considerable amount" of traffic was still on the roadways.

Those in need of emergency service should call 911 and should not attempt to drive to the hospital, Clark cautioned.

"The ambulances are equipped with snow tires for better traction," he said. "There are four-wheel-drive EMS supervisor vehicles on duty as well."

In Rhea County, the light snowfall and passable roads deteriorated around 7:20 p.m.

When heavier snow started falling, roads clear only 10 minutes prior became hard to navigate, completely white and lines were lost.

Even Highway 27, the main four-lane through town, accumulated snow and became more difficult to drive, with traffic slowing.

Side roads were covered within minutes.

In Whitfield County, Dug Gap Battle Road is closed between Battlefield Park and Hurricane Road except for local traffic.

The Alabama Department of Transportation has activated its Emergency Call Center at888-588-2848.

Snow is expected to continue falling into the early morning.