Road crews handle season’s first snowfall

By JOSHUA COFFMAN
Landmark News Service

 

County and state road crews hit the highways Friday morning to rid the pavement of the season’s first significant snowfall.
A trace of snow clung to the surface of some streets, making for a slick morning commute for drivers.
Though the snow didn’t come in large amounts, Kentucky Highway Department spokeswoman Nancy Wood said it was still enough to have trucks out cleaning the streets.
“It did sort of hit quickly this morning,” she said. “Unfortunately, it came during rush hour.”
State snow-removal trucks headed out late Thursday to pre-treat trouble spots with a salt-brine solution, Wood said. Six of the state’s trucks again began cleaning and treating priority roads in Owen County around 6 a.m. Friday, when the snow began to fall.
The snowfall marked the first time that an agreement between the city of Owenton and the county was put to the test.
Owen County Highway Department Supervisor Dan Logan said the city trades space, in the form of a barn near the highway department that has been converted to a salt bin, for time and labor from the county crews.
County trucks spread salt on city streets, and workers used ash cinders to act as an abrasive on county roads.
“It went real smooth,” Logan said of the effort. “Obviously there wasn’t a lot of accumulation, but that little layer we did have was real slick.”
Wood and Logan both said the their respective department had plaenty of snow-removal materials left, being that it was the first time the snow-removal trucks have been used this year.
“We barely scratched the surface,” Logan said.
County trucks spread about a half-ton of its 50-ton salt supply on city roads and spread about 70 or 80 tons of ash cinders, he said.
The cinders are generally applied after the snow stops accumulating, in order for it to provide traction.
Logan said that in heavier snows trucks usually go through once with their blades, then come back through and add cinders.
Blades were not dropped on Friday. If used in a lighter snow, they could damage the roads.
Wood and Logan said Friday’s efforts to clean the roadways were handled well.
“It looks like we got through the first little snow pretty easily,” Logan said.