Roads in Oak Ridge are becoming slipperier as snow continues to accumulate. Above, an Oak Ridge snow plow is pictured at the intersection of Oak Ridge Turnpike and Administration Road at about 11 a.m. Wednesday morning, Jan. 20, 2016. Heavy snow continued to fall about 1.5 hours later. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Note: This story was last updated at 2:30 p.m.
Roads in Oak Ridge became slipperier on Wednesday morning as snow continued to fall.
There were slick spots on well-traveled roads such as New York Avenue, Tyler and Administration roads, and even Oak Ridge Turnpike at about 11 a.m. Wednesday. And a heavy snow continued to fall about an hour later.
Oak Ridge Today drove around central Oak Ridge for about an hour between 10 and 11 a.m. Wednesday while taking pictures, and the roads became noticeably slicker as snow accumulated. We measured about three-quarters of an inch of snow in a parking lot at the Oak Ridge Civic Center at about 10:15 a.m. A few hours later, there was a little more than two inches on the ground on a city side street.
Most people appeared to be driving cautiously Wednesday morning as schools and some government offices and businesses decided to close.
But there were a few reports across Anderson County and in Oak Ridge of vehicles getting stuck or sliding on the slick roadways.
More closings were announced. The Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce, which had planned to open late, announced it would be closed. And the City of Oak Ridge said non-essential municipal offices will close at 3 p.m. Wednesday because of the weather. The Y-12 National Security Complex said it is releasing employees on a phased schedule.
Schools in Oak Ridge, Clinton, and Anderson and Roane counties had announced earlier that they would be closed Wednesday. Roane State Community College campuses, including the one in Oak Ridge, were also closed Wednesday.
Garbage and recycling pickup has been canceled in Oak Ridge on Wednesday. The Wednesday routes will be picked up on Thursday, January 21. The routes scheduled for Thursday are moved to Friday, and the scheduled Friday routes are moved to Saturday
The Convenience Center located on Warehouse Road will remain open until further notice. Questions concerning the revised schedule can be answered by calling Waste Connections Inc. at (865) 482-3656.
Anderson County government offices were also closed Wednesday because of the weather. The Roane County Courthouse closed around 10:30 a.m.
Highland View Church of Christ in Oak Ridge announced it is canceling all classes and services Wednesday night due to the weather.
The Anderson County Sheriff’s Department said Interstate 75 North in Campbell County is closed north of the Rocky Top exit due to multiple crashes. Northbound traffic is backing up into Anderson County. I-75 is expected to be closed for some time.
More information will be added as it becomes available.
The U.S. Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office is pictured above at about 11 a.m. during the snow on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. Heavy snow continued to fall more than 1.5 hours later. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Oak Ridge High School is pictured above during the snow on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. (Photo by Julio Culiat)
A light layer of snow blankets South Tulane Avenue near the American Museum of Science and Energy at about 10 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. But a heavy snow continued to fall and accumulate in Oak Ridge more than two hours later, and the roads became slipperier. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
A City of Oak Ridge snow plow is pictured on Oak Ridge Turnpike near Administration Road at about 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. A heavy snow continued to fall two hours later, and roads had become slipperier. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
Vernon Road in central Oak Ridge is pictured at about 10:30 Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, as several inches of snow fell. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
The Willow Place residential neighborhood is pictured above as several inches of snow fell in Oak Ridge on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016. (We got “photobombed” by a puppy playing in the snow.) (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)
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