VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — Due to anticipated heavy snowfall in the coming days, preparations are already underway at local and state levels to keep the roadways safe.
INDOT West Central says they already have trucks out in several areas, including Cloverdale and Terre Haute. Public relations director Blake Dollier says they are pre-treating the road with a solution of salt and water called brine, which creates a barrier between ice and the roadway.
“So with that pre-treatment, we’re able to get ahead of the curve in the dry conditions as long as there’s no rain or anything to follow,” Dollier said. “Getting ahead of that curve and being able to keep these roads pre-treated in advance, then when we do get a snow event, it’s all about maintaining these roadways, running routes that take about 2-3 hours, and being able to make sure that if there is snow build-up, we’re taking care of that as it blows onto the road and things of that nature.”
Vigo County Highway Director Larry Robbins says they are prepared to extend their crew to rotating 12-hour shifts to ensure that the roads remain clear in the event of a winter storm.
“We’ll probably start that sometime Sunday depending on the timing of the storm,” Robbins said. “We’ll mainly just be plowing roads if we’re expecting to get that much snow, we’ll just plow only for the most part. Spread some material on some key places, intersections, hills, and bridges and so what, but mostly we’ll switch to that and then we’ll be on 12-hour shifts until we get everything taken care of.”
Dollier reminds the public to drive safe in the event the roadways become hazardous, as it can be dangerous for you and INDOT workers.
“Watch out for our plow drivers,” Dollier said. “There’s a high probability there will be several of them out and about here in the next couple days. Don’t crowd the plow, because your car could get hit with ice and that could be a situation that’s not safe for you. Of course they need to work to be able to maintain these roads, so we just ask for everyone’s patience too,and that sort of thing as we work to maintain these roads.”
INDOT says it is also important for drivers to adjust to the road conditions, which may include driving under posted speed limits in some areas.
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