Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Road Crews Battle Region's First Winter Blast
Around 2:30 yesterday afternoon as the snow began to fall crews with the States Transportation cabinet, highway district 12 set out to clear a path for motorists and ensure that roads were as safe as possible during the regions first significant winter blast this year.
Sara George, Information Officer for Highway district 12 who has been monitoring crew’s progress throughout the night spoke with EKB news this morning and had some cautionary words for listeners.
“We are all about safety here at district 12 and we would like to recommend that people stay at home until mid-morning if at all possible to give our snow plow operators the room and time to finish their work;” said George who continued “obviously the fewer vehicles we encounter on a road the faster we can get that road cleared and safe. Our crews have worked all night first clearing roads and (this morning) clearing icy spots.”
Lawrence County suffered the brunt of the season's first major snowfall,with up to five inches reported in numerous places throughout thecounty. At 4:30 Wednesday morning snowfall had stopped. Snowfighterswere still plowing and salting partly covered "A" routes while "B" and"C" routes were still completely covered. It is expected that all routeswill be treated and/or plowed by daylight. The only county reporting precipitation in the early hours was Letcher,where the temperature had risen to 48 degrees by 1:45 a.m. and plummetedto 33 degrees an hour and a half later. While contending with wetpavement and slush on all roads, Letcher County crews watched as snowbegan to fall again on Pine Mountain.
Also at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, no precipitation was reported in thedistrict's other five counties. Snowfighters in Johnson County wereplowing and salting all routes. The Allen crew in Floyd County wasplowing and salting "A" routes but expected to treat completely covered"B" and "C" routes before daylight. The Minnie crew in Floyd County wasplowing and salting "A" and "B" routes with plans to move to "C" routesbefore early daylight hours. Martin County was still working only "A" routes, but expected to have"B" and "C" routes covered before 8 a.m.
Temperatures were unusual in Knott County as well as Letcher. In a30-minute period between 1:45 and 2:15 a.m. the mercury fell from 32degrees to 22. Pavement was slushy on all roads because of the warming temperature, but crews were preparing to treat ice on most routes bydaylight. In Pike County, the Shelby Garage was monitoring "A" routes, which had already been treated, while plowing and salting "B" and "C" routes.
The Canada and Phelps garages, both in Pike County, were plowing and salting all routes. The Shelby Garage reported an icy mix of precipitation thatbegan around 3 a.m. "The lowest temperatures on any given night are usually recorded in the7-7:30 a.m. range," explained Hugh Sammons, Engineer on Duty at theDistrict Office until midnight Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. "Whatthat means is that we are still facing the probability that wet and slushy pavement will turn to icy roads right around daylight."
Tarnell Patton, point man at the District Office from midnight until 8a.m. Wednesday, said that all trucks are either on the road plowing andsalting or are monitoring cold spots and bridge decks for ice build up."There are 2,061.4 two-lane miles for snow and ice in our seven-countydistrict," Patton explained. "By daylight today, each of those milesshould have been treated or plowed at least once during the night. Crewswill return to each road over and over until the roads are clear andthis weather event is over."
Patton said that each maintenance garage has two crews which alternateshifts. "The overnight shift ends at 8 a.m.," he explained. "Then the'A' crew comes back out. Shifts will rotate until all roads are asclear, whether it takes until daylight, all morning, the entire dayWednesday, or even longer. This has been an unusual weather event.
The snowfall moved through the region very quickly and then temperaturesactually rose in the middle of the night in a couple of counties, onlyto drop again in a very short amount of time. The rise in the mercurywas enough to melt the snow, though, and the drop was enough to turn themelted snow to ice, a little strange to have such fluctuations over avery short period of time."
Sara George, Information Officer for Highway district 12 who has been monitoring crew’s progress throughout the night spoke with EKB news this morning and had some cautionary words for listeners.
“We are all about safety here at district 12 and we would like to recommend that people stay at home until mid-morning if at all possible to give our snow plow operators the room and time to finish their work;” said George who continued “obviously the fewer vehicles we encounter on a road the faster we can get that road cleared and safe. Our crews have worked all night first clearing roads and (this morning) clearing icy spots.”
Lawrence County suffered the brunt of the season's first major snowfall,with up to five inches reported in numerous places throughout thecounty. At 4:30 Wednesday morning snowfall had stopped. Snowfighterswere still plowing and salting partly covered "A" routes while "B" and"C" routes were still completely covered. It is expected that all routeswill be treated and/or plowed by daylight. The only county reporting precipitation in the early hours was Letcher,where the temperature had risen to 48 degrees by 1:45 a.m. and plummetedto 33 degrees an hour and a half later. While contending with wetpavement and slush on all roads, Letcher County crews watched as snowbegan to fall again on Pine Mountain.
Also at 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, no precipitation was reported in thedistrict's other five counties. Snowfighters in Johnson County wereplowing and salting all routes. The Allen crew in Floyd County wasplowing and salting "A" routes but expected to treat completely covered"B" and "C" routes before daylight. The Minnie crew in Floyd County wasplowing and salting "A" and "B" routes with plans to move to "C" routesbefore early daylight hours. Martin County was still working only "A" routes, but expected to have"B" and "C" routes covered before 8 a.m.
Temperatures were unusual in Knott County as well as Letcher. In a30-minute period between 1:45 and 2:15 a.m. the mercury fell from 32degrees to 22. Pavement was slushy on all roads because of the warming temperature, but crews were preparing to treat ice on most routes bydaylight. In Pike County, the Shelby Garage was monitoring "A" routes, which had already been treated, while plowing and salting "B" and "C" routes.
The Canada and Phelps garages, both in Pike County, were plowing and salting all routes. The Shelby Garage reported an icy mix of precipitation thatbegan around 3 a.m. "The lowest temperatures on any given night are usually recorded in the7-7:30 a.m. range," explained Hugh Sammons, Engineer on Duty at theDistrict Office until midnight Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. "Whatthat means is that we are still facing the probability that wet and slushy pavement will turn to icy roads right around daylight."
Tarnell Patton, point man at the District Office from midnight until 8a.m. Wednesday, said that all trucks are either on the road plowing andsalting or are monitoring cold spots and bridge decks for ice build up."There are 2,061.4 two-lane miles for snow and ice in our seven-countydistrict," Patton explained. "By daylight today, each of those milesshould have been treated or plowed at least once during the night. Crewswill return to each road over and over until the roads are clear andthis weather event is over."
Patton said that each maintenance garage has two crews which alternateshifts. "The overnight shift ends at 8 a.m.," he explained. "Then the'A' crew comes back out. Shifts will rotate until all roads are asclear, whether it takes until daylight, all morning, the entire dayWednesday, or even longer. This has been an unusual weather event.
The snowfall moved through the region very quickly and then temperaturesactually rose in the middle of the night in a couple of counties, onlyto drop again in a very short amount of time. The rise in the mercurywas enough to melt the snow, though, and the drop was enough to turn themelted snow to ice, a little strange to have such fluctuations over avery short period of time."
# posted by Justin Mullins @ 6:52 AM 
