Here’s the latest on the Road Commission for Oakland County’s storm fighting efforts.
Since about noon, we have lost about two thirds of our plow drivers as they reached their 16-hour limit and were required to take a break. The remaining staff will be out during the evening rush hour and during the night. However, unless we get another squall coming through (as we did between about 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.), the roads should be in fairly decent shape for the evening rush hour.
For the rest of the afternoon and evening, we will focus on cleaning up – this will include pushing back the shoulders on the main roads and freeways, and cleaning up the
“points” (the triangular areas where the on and off ramps meet the freeway lanes).
If weather and staffing levels permit, we may also try to hit some subdivision approaches over night tonight, and maybe (this is a big maybe) also get into a small number of subdivisions.
Coverage will be increased for the Thursday morning rush hour. However, this remains a round-the-clock operation, and decisions about the number of trucks we’ll have available for the Thursday morning rush hour cannot yet be made at this point.
One of our concerns right now is the potential for re-freeze on the roads overnight as the temperatures drop into the low teens or high single digits. The danger, of course, is that anything that is wet could turn to ice. Because of this concern, we have been cautious about using salt today, and, instead, have focused on pushing the snow off the roads.
Another concern remains the wind, as blowing and drifting has continued to be a problem throughout the day. The winds are expected to remain strong, which could keep us on the main roads and freeways throughout the night.
About Tom and Ann Gendich