GARY SEWELL / HERALD DEMOCRAT
This car lost control exiting the Crawford Street bridge and ended up next to the access road down a muddy hill Tuesday morning in Denison.
GARY SEWELL / HERALD DEMOCRAT
Traffic on the U.S. Hwy. 75 overpass at FM 691 had to slow down Tuesday morning due to an accident on the bridge.
GARY SEWELL / HERALD DEMOCRAT
Snow falls on downtown Denison Tuesday morning.
Sleet and snow Monday night and early Tuesday made the morning commute a bit slower for drivers Tuesday morning.
Snowfall and sleet accumulation ranged from 0.2 inches in northwestern Grayson County to 2 inches in the far southeastern portions of the county, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth Office.
The Texas Department of Transportation’s Paris District Public Information Officer Tray Turner said crews used snowplows, salt spreaders and liquid de-icing to try to keep roadways clear.
“TxDOT forces have been out this morning focusing on the current winter weather across North Texas,” Turner said in an email. “Particular attention is given to bridges, high traffic interchanges and roadways.”
Still the number of accidents was up Tuesday morning as drivers ventured out to work. Denison Police Department Lt. Mike Eppler said the DPD responded to eight accidents Tuesday morning and the Sherman Police Department’s Sgt. D.M. Hampton said SPD officers also dealt with eight incidents. There were no injuries as a result of any of those accidents.
“I think two of them were just motorist assist (calls) where they slid off the roadway and we were able to get them back on the road,” Hampton said. “There was nothing major, they were just minor incidents.”
Most of the day’s trouble for drivers came during the first few hours following sunrise, with most roadways significantly clearer by around 10 a.m.
“I think they (roads) are much better now,” Eppler said late Tuesday morning. “We still want people to be cautious on overpasses.”
Sherman officers closed off the North Grand Avenue overpass early Tuesday morning to protect citizens.
“That’s one of the first places they send officers to go check,” Hampton said. “Because of the way its angled, it gets that north wind blowing underneath there and it freezes really fast. It gets really treacherous pretty quick so they shut it down as quickly as they can.”
Temperatures rose into the high 30s Tuesday and SPD reopened the Grand Avenue overpass around 1:30 p.m., Hampton said. Since temperatures were predicted to dip back below freezing Tuesday night and early Wednesday, Turner urged caution for drivers then as well.
“If travel can be avoided please stay off the roadways,” he said. “Bridges and roadways will freeze overnight and remain slick.”
