Snow and Slick Roads Complicate Morning Commute
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Roan Mt. Snow Phoner
Roan Mt. Snow Phoner
Christine Riser/ Tricities.com
Drivers slowly make their way along 11E in Piney Flats around 8am.
It’s been a messy morning drive in the Tri-Cities Region.
In the higher elevations of Southwest Virginia and Northeast Tennessee, side roads and even some of the main roads have been very slick because of snow and ice.
Even in the metro Tri-Cities Region, bridges and overpasses have been slick. Accidents blocked Devault Bridge on Highway 11-E in Washington County, Tennessee. A wreck on Highway 67 in Elizabethton blocked westbound traffic heading toward Johnson City.
Access to the Tri-Cities Regional Airport is treacherous this morning.
Interstate 26 over Sam’s Gap on the Tennessee / North Carolina is hazardous.
Stay with News Channel 11 and TriCities.Com for updates.
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Reader Reactions
I feel much safer with my teenager driving than with him on our school buses. I have no confidence at this point in any driver provided by Holston Bus Company due to previous experiences. My teen is a wonderful driver and yes it is the director of schools job to take everyone’s safety into consideration, including the teen drivers that drive to school every day. It was no safer for me to be driving than it was for him to be. I slid several times going to work on black ice. And I clearly understand my responsibility as a parent.
As the parent of two inexperienced teenage drivers, I understand you fear. It is our job as parents to keep them off the streets, NOT the director of schools. If you feel your child should not be driving, don’t let them. That is why we have school buses. I do understand the horror of riding the bus but, better safe than sorry. If you have the time, drive them yourself, it would be an excellent time to go over the rules of driving in the snow.
We are supposed to raise our children not, the school system.
I took my husband to work early this morning and wondered about the city schools myself. I’ve had to deal with taking my daughter to school in these conditions before and got mad once back a few years ago when Mr. Dixon didn’t put schools on snow schedule until I’d already made the trip to TN High on horrible roads and then I had to go back to get her because he finally closed them after a lot of the kids were already at the high school and middle school. I promised I’d never do that again. I was supposed to go to Johnson City for a meeting with ETSU classmates to work on a group project but I’m glad I stayed home considering all the slick road reports and accidents this morning. The meeting was cancelled. Take care and be careful out there everyone.
I feel the same way about Hawkins County Schools. The buses ran on some roads and not others. So the kids on the bad roads are excused from school. West Carters Valley Rd was extremely slick and snow covered in quiet a few areas. I feel if the buses don’t run on every run then school should be closed or even on a snow schedule.
I think Steve Dixon missed the call on this one. Bristol Tn City Schools should have been on a snow schedule. I hit black ice twice this morning. I think you should have erred on the side of caution. With inexperienced teenage drivers always err on the side of caution.
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