City of Columbus prepares for snow fall
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – For the first time this winter, central Ohio may see the first plowable snow and the City of Columbus’ snow warriors will be out in full force.
Snow warriors headed out around 7 p.m. on Thursday but they’ve done a lot of prep ahead of time to make sure everything is ready to go.
“We’re pre-treating all of our roads. We’ve got brine on the roads and we are hitting all of our major arterials and collectors and making sure that the roads are in the best position they can be before the snow falls,” said Deputy Director for the Department of Public Service, Kelly Scocco.
With a winter weather advisory in effect tonight, this could be the first real snowfall we see here in the City of Columbus.
“We are prepared. We are ready for it if there’s four inches of snow, we’re ready to go into the residentials,” said Scocco. “We have our equipment ready and we’ve got more salt in our barns than we’ve had for the last five years for the snow. So, we are more than prepared.”
And for the first time this winter season, the Department of Public Safety is deploying its auxiliary staff.
“I cannot stress enough about how hard these ladies and gentlemen work and the dedication that they have for our residents in Columbus to make sure that everyone is able to get safely where they need to get to on the roadways,” said Scocco.
Those traveling should monitor local conditions, Scocco said.
“One of the biggest challenges we have here in Columbus is that it could be snowing a lot on the north side and nothing on the south side, just monitor conditions outside your house because you never know what it’s going to be doing throughout the city,” Scocco said.
As always, don’t crowd the plow. Drivers should slow down and move over if they see one.
“Leave in plenty of time,” said Scocco. “If you’re stuck in traffic, that means our plow trucks are stuck in traffic. So, just give them the room to do their work and pack your patience.”
For those who plan to travel, the city has a Warrior Watch website. The website can be used to see what areas have been cleared and what priority each street is.