Public Works crews scheduled to come in Wednesday night to monitor road conditions

Public Works officials announced on Wednesday that a crew will report to work at 7 p.m. in anticipation of winter weather.

The crews will focus on the designated snow routes.

According to the Winter Weather Advisory issued by the National Weather Service in St. Louis, this event could “result in difficult travel conditions including during the morning commute on Thursday.”

“The precipitation likely won’t end until Thursday morning during the day, so we aren’t likely to be as lucky with the wind drying effect that occurred in the early morning hours this morning,” Columbia Public Works Engineering Manager Richard Stone said.

Officials are expecting the freezing rain to start sometime after 8 p.m. which could lead to immediate slick conditions.

“Continuous washing will mean that we will need to focus on additional treatment of priority routes,” Stone said.

Drivers have been asked to pay close attention to local forecasts and road conditions.

Officials said if the road are icy, drivers should delay traveling if at all possible.