Columbia Public Works preps for possible freezing on roads into Wednesday morning
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Columbia Public Works dispatched a 20-person crew starting on Tuesday night to treat priority roads into Wednesday morning, according to Public Works spokesman John Ogan.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the lower 20's into Wednesday morning, which Ogan said could bring about the possibility of ice on the roads. In order to mitigate this possibility, Ogan said Columbia Public Works crews will treat priority roads in the city.
Priority roads and snow routes include bus routes and streets that connect the community to schools, hospitals and other critical areas in the city. Some examples including Broadway and Green Meadows Road, according to Ogan.
Monday night into Tuesday morning, parts of Mid-Missouri received its first significant snowfall of the season. This led to crews from Columbia Public Works working to treat the roads for slushy conditions.
However, preparations for ice require a different method.
"Well snow obviously it's a plow, you want to have a physical plow to push the snow out of the roadway," Ogan said. "But for ice you're going to use salt…so it's going to be salt, salt brine we're going to use that on priority roads."
Ogan also said that neighborhoods will not be treated by the city unless at least four inches of snow has fallen. That being said, those who wish to apply salt to their personal driveway or sidewalks should use salt in moderation.
According to Ogan, 12 ounces of salt can be used to cover 10 sidewalk squares. Ogan also said salt should only be applied to clear surfaces.
Temperatures in the area are not expected to reach above freezing until noon, according to the ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team.
Ogan noted that another crew will take over at 7 a.m. Wednesday to ensure roads are still treated properly. The number of workers will depend on the severity of road conditions, according to Ogan.
Road and Parks Superintendent for Cole County Public Works, Kevin Light said that crews in the area went home at 4 p.m, due to a minimal amount of snow sticking to the roads. Light said he'll monitor the roads overnight into Wednesday, however crews are available to report back to work Wednesday morning if necessary.
"We've always got somebody on alert that way if you know somebody calls an urgent emergency out we can go out and get with them," Light said.
With the possibility of black ice overnight, Ogan recommends drivers drive slowly, stay aware and increase the following distance between other vehicles on the road.
