The first snow of the season swept across Johnson County with a vengeance on Monday morning, the first day back to work and school for many residents and children after the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
Snow-packed roads contributed to a slick and dangerous commute for many in Johnson County as snow began accumulating around 7 a.m.
As of noon, Johnson County police department online calls for service logs showed more than 100 crashes had been reported on area roadways.
By midday, more than 2 inches had fallen across much of Johnson County, with another 1-2 inches expected before the snow tapers off this afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.
None of Johnson County’s six public school districts canceled classes on Monday, though by noon, some were starting to announce that evening activities and after-school sports practices were called off.
Crashes on local highways
Kansas Highway Patrol troopers were working numerous slide-offs and stuck vehicles, many on entrance, exit and flyover ramps on Johnson County highways.
As of 11:30 a.m., Highway Patrol troopers had closed several highway ramps due to stuck tractor-trailers.
The ramp connecting westbound Interstate 435 to southbound U.S. Highway 69 in Overland Park was closed, with three tractor-trailers spun out there, including one that was sideways on the ramp.
Another spun-out tractor-trailer was blocking the ramp from northbound I-35 to northbound I-635 near the Wyandotte County line. The driver was waiting for a tow truck at the time of publication.
Several vehicles were struck on the flyover ramp from westbound I-435 to southbound I-35, as well.
Several local police departments, including those in Overland Park and Olathe, implemented walk-in report policies due to the high number of crashes being reported.
Departments are asking those involved in non-injury crashes to move vehicles from the roadway, exchange information with others involved, and file a report at the police station after weather conditions improve.
Local cities began pretreating roads last night
Municipal crews were out across Johnson County as early as Sunday night, pretreating local roads with brine and salt.
Overland Park, Johnson County’s biggest city, has more than 2,000 lane miles of streets and bridges to treat, city spokesperson Meg Ralph said, and some 170 employees and contractors out working to clear roads.
Ralph said the city typically finishes clearing roads 24 hours after snow stops falling. Overland Park has a new snow map that residents can monitor, after problems emerged with an online previous map during January’s record-breaking snowfall.
In Leawood, city spokesperson Beth Breitenstein said the cold, dry air was making it “more challenging to manage” snow clearance.
She urged motorists to take it slowly and keep their distance form other drivers, if they had to be out on Monday.
In Shawnee, the city reported eight traffic accidents as of 9:50 a.m.
A city spokesperson said crews’ focus on Monday would be on busy arterial streets while the snow kept falling. Once the snowfall was finished, attention would be turned to priority feeder roads and residential streets.
Trash services suspended
Residents could expect their curbside trash service to also be impacted.
In Prairie Village, the city said Republic, the city’s lone trash service contractor, had suspended pickups on Monday.
Monday’s pickups in the city would be pushed to Tuesday. City officials said residents with regular pickups later in the week should still plan to put out their trash on their normal day, as Republic works to catch up.
In Roeland Park, the city said trash contractor GFL’s “trucks are sliding on the roads or dodging cars that were also sliding on slick streets.”
GFL suspended pickup service on Monday, as well.
Winter weather advisory in effect until 6 p.m.
The National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory that will be in effect until 6 p.m. Monday.
In its advisory, NWS said “slippery road conditions” could persist through the afternoon as snow continues to fall.
“The hazardous conditions could impact the Monday evening commute,” NWS said.
Around midday Monday, Olathe Public Schools announced that all district evening activities and afternoon early childhood classes would be canceled.
The district said student drivers at the district’s high schools would be released on a staggered schedule starting at 2:20 p.m.
The Shawnee Mission School District announced a staggered release for Monday afternoon, a move intended to give bus drivers more time to complete their routes.
Under the plan, high schools will dismiss at 1:30 p.m., elementary schools at 2:30 p.m. and middle schools at 3:10 p.m.
After-school care in the Shawnee Mission district operated by the YMCA and the Johnson County Park and Recreation District woud still continue, the district said.
After-school and evening activities and athletics in Shawnee Mission are canceled for Monday.
The Gardner Edgerton and USD 232 districts announced similar staggered early release plans, too.
