Road Crews Preparing for Storm

***UPDATE SATURDAY 3:54 P.M.*** Road crews expect winds to play a part in making snow clearing efforts harder. Some culs-de-sac and low-priority roads may take longer to get to, according to Britt Smith, spokesperson for Jefferson City Public Works. With the pending storm still hours away, road crews are trying to get as much rest as possible. Jefferson City crews will roll in one to two crews overnight into Sunday and build up to 24 snow plows in the morning when the heaviest snowfall is expected. MoDOT decided early Saturday afternoon to have full staffing report to duty before midnight, giving priority to the busiest highways first, and paying close attention to bridges and overpasses where re-freeze tends to happen. Columbia Public Works have not decided as of this writing when they will bring in their first crews. ***ORIGINAL STORY***Road crews across Mid-Missouri are preparing for the upcoming spring snowstorm as a half-foot of snow is expected to fall on the weekend before spring break. For the city of Columbia, road crews checked equipment and found they are not at 100%. “A number of trucks still need repairs after the February 26 snowstorm – but for the most part they have been completed,” said Steve Sapp, spokesperson for Columbia Public Works. Over at the Missouri Department of Transportation, they’re also keeping a close eye on road conditions. Jason Sommerer, the senior pavement specialist at MoDot, said a snowstorm in early spring is not uncommon, but with this storm, treating the roads can get tricky. That is because he is expecting it to rain before it snows. “If there’s a chance to put chemicals down, we’ll do so,” said Sommerer.On the other hand, Columbia Public Works is not planning to pre-treat roads. “Unfortunately, pre-treatment of roads won’t be an option because it will just simply wash off with the rain,” said Sapp. However, crews are expecting fewer people on the road because many students will be out of town. But they are still warning people to not drive if possible and avoid parking on the street so plows can clear the snow. To check the latest road conditions, MoDOT has real-time traffic alerts and cameras on their website and also a 24-hour hotline, 1-888-ASK-MODOT. Columbia Public Works also has a Facebook page with latest updates on their snow preparations.