LOW VISIBILITY TAXI; SIGNAGE CONFUSION; FLC HAD TO STOP WHEN RECOGNIZING THEY WERE ABOUT TO TAXI ONTO RWY 17. THEY REQUESTED CLRNC FOR U TURN BACK TO TXWY K AND THEN TXWY D. GND CTLR CLRED THEM AS REQUESTED WHICH RESULTED IN ACTION BEING TAKEN AGAINST THE GND CTLR.

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THE WX WAS OVCST WITH BLOWING SNOW; 1/2 MI VISIBILITY. WE HAD BEEN DEICED AND HAD A 30 MIN HOLDOVER TIME. WE WERE TAXIING FROM GATE AT SDF TO RWY 35. IN ORDER TO EXPEDITE THE TAXI; WE ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED PERMISSION TO TAXI ACROSS THE DEP END OF RWY 19 TO USE TXWY D TO THE RWY. IT WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE TO TAXI AS THE SNOW WAS BLOWING HORIZLY AND THE SNOW WAS MELTING AND RUNNING DOWN THE WINDSCREEN. WINDSHIELD WIPERS WERE NECESSARY. WHILE LOOKING AT THE CHARTS PRIOR TO TAXI; WE KNEW TXWY D WAS THE PROPER TXWY TO LOOK FOR. AS WE CROSSED OVER THE END OF RWY 19 WE WERE LOOKING FOR TXWY D AND THERE WAS A SPLIT IN THE TXWY; ONE WITH A SLIGHT TURN TO THE R AND ONE WITH A SLIGHT TURN TO THE L. SINCE WE WERE LOOKING FOR TXWY D; WE TURNED L AND FOLLOWED IT; ONLY TO REALIZE THAT WE WERE APCHING THE END OF RWY 17; SO WE STOPPED. WE ADVISED GND WHERE WE WERE. THEY ASKED US IF WE WERE CLR OF THE RWY. WE SAID YES. THEN WE ADVISED THAT WE WOULD NEED TO BACK-TAXI ONTO THE RWY TO EXIT AGAIN AND RESUME OUR TAXI ON TXWY D. THEY ADVISED US TO HOLD FOR TFC ON FINAL. WE ACKNOWLEDGED HOLDING. THEN WE TOLD THEM THAT ALL WE NEEDED TO DO WAS TO MAKE A 'U' TURN ONTO TXWY K AND THEN BACK ONTO TXWY D. GND THEN SAID 'CLRED AS REQUESTED.' WE BEGAN TO TAXI ONTO THE RWY AND GND SAID 'HOLD YOUR POS.' WE COULD NOT HOLD OUR POS WITHOUT SITTING ON AN ACTIVE RWY; SO WE RAPIDLY EXITED THE RWY AT TXWY K AS WE HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CLRED TO DO. WE ADVISED THAT WE WERE CLR OF THE RWY AND WERE PROCEEDING ON TXWY D. WE THEN WERE ASKED IF WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO GO ONTO THE RWY; WE SAID YES. THERE WAS A BIT OF SILENCE ON THE RADIO AND ANOTHER QUESTION WAS ASKED ABOUT OUR CLRNC. WE REPEATED WHAT WE HAD ASKED FOR AND WHAT OUR CLRNC HAD BEEN. WE CONTINUED OUR TAXI AND SWITCHED TO TWR FREQ NEAR THE END OF RWY 35. WE WERE THEN GIVEN A PHONE NUMBER TO CALL UPON ARR IN ATL. WE ACKNOWLEDGED THE REQUEST. WE CALLED THE NUMBER AND SPOKE TO SUPVR. HE SAID THAT THEY HAD PULLED THE TAPES AND REVIEWED THEM. THEY WERE TAKING ACTION AGAINST THE GND CTLR AND THAT WE HAD DONE NOTHING WRONG. WE DID WHAT WE WERE GIVEN CLRNC TO DO. HE SAID THAT HE DIDN'T THINK THAT THERE WOULD BE ANY MORE INVOLVEMENT WITH US. WE TOLD HIM THAT WE WOULD BE FILING A NASA RPT AS A PROTECTION. HE SAID THAT WAS OK; ASKED FOR THE CAPT'S NAME AND PHONE NUMBER AND ADVISED THAT WE WOULD BE NOTIFIED IF THERE WAS ANY OTHER INVOLVEMENT WITH US. THE SIT WAS CAUSED BY NUMEROUS THINGS; MOST OBVIOUS ARE; 1) THE RWY TURNOFF AT THE END OF RWY 17 SHOULD BE TXWY D; AND 2) THE CTLR DID NOT UNDERSTAND OUR REQUEST.