Drivers meet ice challenge

The Daily Inter Lake

Ice challenged drivers and pedestrians Thursday morning, but no serious accidents were reported.

Kalispell police Chief Frank Garner issued an emergency-only travel advisory for a few hours Thursday morning until the ice thawed. That canceled classes at most schools.

There were eight or 10 accidents in town, Garner said.

"I hate to think what would have happened if schools were not closed," he said.

As treacherous as roads were for drivers, sidewalks presented their own hazards for pedestrians.

Spots that had been shoveled smooth in previous days was coated in ice, Garner said.

The Sheriff's Office also was busy dispatching emergency services to accidents. Among them was a dairy truck that slid off of Two Mile Drive.

On West Evergreen Drive at about 7 a.m., the roadway near Village Greens was so slick that drivers couldn't make it up a hill. Eventually, a clot of disabled vehicles completely blocked the road.

The National Weather Service predicted more rain and temperatures above freezing Thursday night and this morning.

It's rare that the Police Department issues a travelers advisory, Garner said. He thinks it's only happened five times or so in the past 10 years and only when conditions are perilous.