The aftermath of another winter storm is still making for troublesome travel in eastern Iowa. Jessica Lown of the Iowa Department of Public Safety says there’s a long stretch where highways have poor travel conditions. She says the area from Grinnell east to Tama, Cedar Rapids and Iowa City is the area where the troopers are reporting the roadways are 100-percent snow and ice covered.
Lown says high winds are adding to the ice and snow problems. Lown says there’s a lot of blowing snow and drifts and they have to keep the plows moving and it will take some time for the weather conditions to change. The are several cars in the ditches along the interstate, and Lown says that’s where they’re staying for now.
Lown says there is a towing ban in effect for eastern Iowa and she says if you do go into the ditch, you should call and get a ride and not worry about your car. She says you can call the local Highway Patrol post and they will tell you when the tow ban is lifted. Lown says there are other areas of the state that also have problems, and the best thing to do is to check the road conditions webs ite.
Lown says the conditions are entered directly onto the website by the troopers in their cars. Lown says you should avoid traveling in the problem areas until the conditions improve.