Heavy snow makes for dangerous evening commute

Local police reported a slew of minor accidents throughout the region Friday as a result of slick road conditions.

Forecasters predicted 6 to 12 inches of snow in Lake and Porter counties, with isolated totals close to Lake Michigan expected to be as much as 18 inches. The National Weather Service said accumulations can vary significantly, even between short distances. As a result, southern portions of Lake and Porter counties were expected to see less than 6 inches of snow.

Snow is expected to diminish and shift east by midday Saturday, for a clear and cold rest of the weekend.

Officials in portions of Porter County reported few accidents as of Friday evening, while Lake County officials stayed busy responding to minor accidents.

Hammond police handled 19 accident calls as of 8:30 p.m. Friday, said Lt. Pat Vicari, traffic division commander. All were minor crashes.

Two lanes of eastbound Interstate 80/94 between Cline Avenue and Burr Street were shut down in the wake of a multiple-car accident just before 7 p.m. Friday. Indiana State Police said two semitrailers and an unknown number of passenger cars were involved in the crash. Only minor injuries were reported.

Illinois State Police responded to 45 accidents as of 8 p.m. Friday on nontoll roads in Cook County. Police said most crashes were property damage only, though there were a few with minor injuries.

The Indiana Department of Transportation postponed work scheduled this weekend from the Illinois state line to Burr Street because of the forecast. Workers planned to install a tourist sign on an overhead truss and to repair pavement in that stretch of the expressway.