Clean-up Under Way Following Latest Round of Snow

Cars make their way northeast on First Avenue, seen from the pedestrian overpass at 29th Street SE, on Tuesday, March 5, 2013, in Cedar Rapids. Major roads in the Cedar Rapids area were wet but mostly clear as snow continued to fall Tuesday morning. (Liz Martin/The Gazette-KCRG)

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By Aaron Hepker

Story Created: Mar 3, 2013 at 11:35 AM CDT

Story Updated: Mar 5, 2013 at 7:23 PM CDT

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Eastern Iowans spent Tuesday morning digging out from the latest round of snow to fall across the state.

Snow started falling late Monday night and quickly covered roadways. By 5 a.m. Tuesday, all Eastern Iowa highways and interstates were 100 percent snow covered, according to the Iowa Department of Transportation.

Many area schools and businesses either had delayed openings or shut down for the day.

At the height of the storm, the city of Cedar Rapids had more than 100 people working to clear city streets, according to public works maintenance manager Craig Hanson. By late Tuesday morning, crews had cleared Cedar Rapids’ main roads and were working to clear side roads.

The same is true in Iowa City, where city workers had cleared main thoroughfares by late Tuesday morning. According to Johnson County, county plows will spend Tuesday afternoon clearing secondary roads.

In Dubuque, drivers had to navigate the city’s many hills during the morning commute. Despite slick conditions, only minor accidents were reported in Dubuque. Drivers are reporting that the Highway 151 south of Dubuque and Highway 136 in Dubuque are completely snow covered.

The snow started to fall late Monday night, and by early Tuesday morning the Iowa Department of Transportation reported that roads were completely snow covered.

Crews in Waterloo began preparing for the snow on Monday morning. Mark Rice, public works director for Waterloo, told The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier that crews pre-treated roads with salt and sand ahead of the snow. Rice said crews encountered some problems because of snow already on the ground.

Law enforcement agencies responded to dozens of minor accidents across Eastern Iowa, but no serious accidents were reported.

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