While county road agencies have had their hands full trying to cut paths through the snow this past week in Southwest Michigan, the Michigan Department of Transportation has had its crews out on larger routes on a 24/7 basis.
MDOT spokesperson Nick Schirripa tells us the agency in this region has 90 plows and 65 plow routes.
“If we have one truck per route, we have 65 on the road, but then you’ve got to have some for backup in case one breaks,” Schirripa said. “Occasionally we’ll put two trucks on a route or on several routes at a time. Obviously, everyone over on the lakeshore knows that snow can fall fast and heavy. So there are times when we have two trucks running a route.”
However, Schirripa says when the weather gets cold enough, there’s only so much a plow can do to keep a highway clear of ice and snow.
“The blade goes first and then the salt drops behind that. So they’ll plow and they’ll salt. And then when they come back around on the next lap, that salt has had time to break the bond between the snow and ice and the pavement. So they’re able to get more material off the road that second pass, the following pass. When temperatures get really cold, specifically down below 10 degrees, 12 degrees, certainly into the single digits, what happens is that melting action of the salt, actually refreezes before they can get back there for the next pass. So they’re creating more ice than they started with. So when the temperatures get down that cold, they won’t use salt.”
For that reason, Schirripa says when it’s below about 15 degrees, everyone needs to slow down. In fact, he advises slowing down in all winter weather.
“You should never get on the highway in snowy weather and expect to be able to go to the speed limit. Adjust your speed according to the weather.”
MDOT has been putting out a string of crash notices all week long as some drivers continue going too fast for the conditions.
Schirripa says the MDOT plow drivers are based in eight facilities throughout Southwest Michigan, working in three eight-hour shifts to ensure the roads are always covered. He asks drivers to stay clear of the plows and to remember it will take longer than usual to reach their destinations.
“This is the kind of winter event that we know leads to fatigue. We know our plow operators are dedicated. They’re absolutely rock stars. And certainly having spent the last 10 days, 12 days, plowing essentially nonstop, they are the real heroes of our agency. So it’s important for us to give them not just the room they need to do the work on the road they need to do for us, but for us to give them downtime, and that’s why we go to those three shifts instead of two.”
You can stay on top of road conditions, and follow the progress of MDOT plows, at Michigan.gov/Drive. The site also has highway cameras, giving users a look at the roads they may be thinking of driving.
