HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Our cold weather has created a rare occurrence in the Tampa Bay area. Black ice has formed on a stretch of the Veterans Expressway in Hillsborough County, creating dangerous driving conditions.
Black ice is a thin layer of ice that is hard for drivers to see. It can be very dangerous and cause drivers to lose control.
The black ice is in the southbound lanes of the Veterans Expressway near Hutchison Road. The Florida Highway Patrol has closed two southbound lanes.
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Crews are trying to remove the ice from the road. The ice is thick in some places and crews are using shovels to chip at it.
“(I’ve) been reporting traffic in Tampa for 15 years and this is the FIRST time I’ve had to report Black Ice on the road!?” said WFLA Traffic Reporter Leslee Lacey in a tweet.
Drivers are urged to use caution in the area.
The ice formed on a stretch of the Veterans that is an overpass. Overpasses are more likely to become icy because the overpass is exposed to cold air above and under the road.
Officials have not said if a spill is what caused the ice to form.
PHOTOS: Ice forms on Veterans Expressway
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