Glenn Highway

The National Weather Service says afternoon snowfall is expected to affect Thursday commutes along the Glenn Highway from Anchorage to the Mat-Su Valley, a day after poor driving conditions produced numerous wrecks on the highway near Anchorage. According to a special weather statement released by the NWS at about 3 p.m. Thursday, winter conditions are expected to continue along the Glenn into early Thursday evening. “The combination of falling and blowing snow will continue to produce reduced visibilities and difficult driving conditions along the Glenn Highway from Anchorage to the Matanuska Valley during the evening commute,” meteorologists wrote.

The Arctic Valley Ski Area has officially opened for the winter season in early February. After waiting for enough snow, the ski lifts were back in action this weekend. It opened up for the season on Saturday. The ski club says they were very busy with hundreds of visitors, but in light of Super Bowl Sunday, it only had a handful of guests hit the slopes at the ski area. Weather kept the club from starting the season earlier in the winter. “It was a challenge to get open but now we're here and we're happy to be here,” Lee Fisher, Arctic Valley Ski Club Board Member, said.

UPDATE (8:50 a.m.): The Glenn Highway is now clear and open, according to APD officials. The Glenn Highway has been closed in both directions for almost two hours after a three-vehicle accident occurred in the inbound lane, according to Anchorage police officials. Shortly before 7 a.m., APD responded to the rear-ending accident on North Birchwood involving a Honda CR-V, a Nissan Centra, and a Subaru. Officials did not clarify which vehicle rear-ended the other, but confirmed that zero injuries or fatalities were reported.

A Sutton man arrested on felony DUI charges in Palmer Saturday also had a driver's license that had been revoked until the year 2094, according to Alaska State Troopers. Shortly before 4:30 p.m. Saturday, an AST dispatch says Alaska Bureau of Highway Patrol received several Report Every Dangerous Driver Immediately complaints about a vehicle headed south on the Glenn near Palmer. Investigating troopers made contact with John Michael Slowikowski, 41, in Palmer. “Investigation at the scene revealed that Slowikowski was driving while under the influence of an intoxicating beverage and driving while license revoked,” troopers wrote.

Update : A Providence Hospital spokesperson said that Amber Helmann, 32, was listed in critical condition around 5 p.m. Friday. Original : The Old Glenn Highway has reopened Friday afternoon, after Alaska State Troopers responded to a two-vehicle collision that left a Palmer woman severely injured and closed the highway for several hours. AST spokesperson Megan Peters said the crash occurred at 10:25 a.m. on the Old Glenn, about two miles south of the Knik River bridge.

One outbound lane of the Glenn Highway was closed for slightly over an hour Monday afternoon after a rollover crash near Eagle River, according to Anchorage police. APD spokesperson Anita Shell says a truck headed north and towing a vehicle rolled beneath the Hiland Road overpass at about 3:15 p.m. Initial details on the crash weren't clear, but it apparently didn't involve any other vehicles. While nobody was injured in the crash, Shell says cleanup at the scene was delayed by damage to the truck.

Anchorage police arrested three people in two separate robberies Tuesday morning, including one incident that ended with a car chase along Muldoon Road. APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker says the Muldoon case began shortly before 10:30 a.m. in the Tikahtnu Commons Best Buy at 1200 Muldoon Rd., when 28-year-old Megan Allen and Joseph Wingate, 50, were looking at Kindle Fire tablets and Allen put four of the devices into her oversized red purse. “When confronted by store employees, Wingate headed for an exit and Allen told the employees that she had pepper spray which she would use on them and a gun,” Parker wrote in a Tuesday statement on the cases.

Anchorage police say all lanes of the Glenn Highway have reopened after a multiple-vehicle collision that injured at least one person. APD spokesperson Lt. Dave Parker says the crash happened in the outbound lanes of the Glenn just before 3:30 p.m., with three vehicles reportedly stopped afterward. Responding officers had reported one person with a broken leg, as well as a driver trapped in an SUV in the inbound lanes. Parker says gasoline has spilled “all over the road,” presenting a further hazard to driving in the area.

Update: Update from City of Palmer: At 10 pm, residents may return to the Cedar Hills Subdivision without the need to show id. Please use care when driving as the firefighters will have their equipment in the area and will monitor the area throughout the night. Mat-Su Borough officials have called for the Cedar Hills subdivision and other areas to be evacuated after several homes caught fire in high winds Thursday, temporarily closing the Glenn Highway in the area.

A Wednesday morning crash has closed the inbound lanes of the Glenn Highway near Muldoon Road, according to the Anchorage Police Department. Lt. Dave Parker, APD Public Information Officer, said that the collision happened after 10 a.m. and it involved at least 2 vehicles. Police are on scene responding on the crash and no initial word on the condition of the drivers. If you have pictures or video, then email news_desk@ktuu.com . This is a developing story. Please check KTUU.com and the Channel 2 newscasts for updates.