Washtenaw County Road Commission trucks attack primary roads, then will focus on subdivision streets
The Washtenaw County Road Commission has all available trucks in service plowing roads this morning.
File photo
Washtenaw County Road Commission crews are out in full force this morning, clearing roads following Sunday's winter storm. They will focus first on state highways and primary paved county roads before turning their attention to gravel roads and subdivision streets, said Jim Harmon, director of operations.
Drivers will find bare pavement in the wheel tracks of freeways this morning, Harmon said. Ramps and intersections are more snow-covered and slippery. Two-lane roads will likely have more snow, and secondary county roads and subdivision streets haven't been touched, he said. Crews will get to those today after clearing primary roads down to bare pavement, he said.
The full fleet of trucks started clearing roads at 4 a.m. today following a full workday Sunday. This morning, 40 trucks are in service following breakdowns Sunday that affected six trucks. Some of those will be back in service today after repairs.
Crews are primarily using sand on the roads today to provide traction because low temperatures are hampering the ability of salt to melt snow and ice. Crews started out using salt Sunday but began using sand as the temperatures fell.
High winds have caused drifting on some county roads. Road Commission crews also had to deal with limbs and trees that were blown down on some roads Sunday, mainly in Webster and Scio townships, Harmon said.
Until roads are clear, he advised drivers to slow down and give other vehicles plenty of room.
He said this storm was minor to moderate in terms of volume of snow and duration, but he said it posed significant challenges to motorists who found slippery conditions Sunday, especially during the height of the storm.
In such situations, driver caution is the key, Harmon said. "We're out there working, but there's only so much we can do during the storm," he said.
Comments
trs80
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 5:31 p.m.
Pretty obvious when someone pays for services through tax money and these services are not provided they have a valid reason to complain. Guess you dont know.
yeahyouknow
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.
It's pretty obvious that however the city takes care of the snow and ice on roads, people will complain no matter what.
trs80
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 1:27 p.m.
They should have been out last night. Now the roads are full of packed snow and ice. Thanks A2 for nothing!
bugjuice
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 1:14 p.m.
I saw a plow truck at the end of my block yesterday, then it drove away never to return. All the cars and trucks packed the snow into a skating rink all the way to the bottom of the hill. Plows would scrape it smooth. A little sand would be good, Salt is useless in temps like this.
quetzalcoatl
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 11:04 a.m.
Don't panic, folks. It is now less than 60 days before Tiger pitchers and catchers report to Lakeland, FL, for the 76th consecutive year.
SonnyDog09
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:41 a.m.
I was reassured to find that the Ann Arbor Snow Removal update page has not been updated since February (as of 1040 on Monday). http://www.a2gov.org/government/publicservices/fieldoperations/Pages/StreetSnowPlowingStatus.aspx
Matt Hampel
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:19 a.m.
Leah, I saw just the opposite this morning as I was walking to work (about 9am). I know the crews were working hard, but Ashley, Washington, and Fifth (esp. near Liberty) all had quite a bit of snow and ice.
Leah Gunn
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 10:07 a.m.
I was out this morning at 7:45 and the main roads were all plowed, and the side streets down town as well. Ann Arbor crews have been doing a good job - but it is still icy on sidewalks and steps because the salt and other de-icing products don't do the job when it is so cold. So, be careful out there!
David Cahill
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:53 a.m.
Yes, Ann Arbor has its own trucks. One came by here (Broadway) yesterday. AnnArbor.com, how about including updates about snow clearance within the City in articles like these?
Sallyxyz
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 9:41 a.m.
Who is responsible for clearing the city streets of A2? Does the city have its own plows and salt trucks?