Public works crews clear roads during season’s first winter storm

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As ice settled overnight Friday on the roads of Mid-Missouri, crews in Columbia and Jefferson City took out their snow plows and salt trucks to treat the roads.

ABC 17 Stormtrack meteorologists issued a Weather Alert Day for Saturday due to the freezing temperatures and precipitation. Columbia and Jefferson City Public Works Departments tell ABC 17 they successfully treated their main priority roads during the first winter storm of the season on New Year's Day.

Richard Stone with Columbia Public Works encourages people to keep an eye on road conditions and the weather report.

"Temperatures continue to fall, so if anybody is going to be out they need to pay attention cause it can turn very quickly," Stone said.

Stone said Columbia crews were able to get first and second priority roads cleared by midday. Columbia Public Works reports which roads are priority and which roads are cleared on the Street and Snow Route Priority Viewer.

Earlier this week, the Missouri Department of Transportation told ABC 17 staffing issues would prevent MoDOT crews from treating roads as quickly as they normally would. Stone said Columbia Public Works was not experiencing the same problem.

"We went into the winter with the same number of employees that we had last year, as far as our response," Stone said.

Britt Smith with Jefferson City Public Works said crews are preparing for another day of work tomorrow while monitoring weather and road conditions.

"We've got our one crew in treating the bridge decks, but other than that we're resting and monitoring," Smith said.

Smith also reminds Mid-Missourians that sidewalks and parking lots are likely not treated, so anyone walking around during the below-freezing temperatures should be careful not to slip and fall on ice.

Watch ABC 17 News at 10 p.m.