CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Snowplow drivers are already on an emergency schedule in Charleston.
City Public Works Director Gary Taylor initiated the 12 hour shifts Wednesday when the first snow hit the valley causing slick roads. He called Wednesday’s snow a good tune up for what’s coming.
“I have 15 full sized trucks and three small trucks now that we have manned,” he said. “They will stay manned throughout the whole event whenever it ends.”
Forecasters expect the snow to arrive Friday morning and last through Saturday evening. Taylor said with snow stretching for such an extended period, they’ll have to concentrate on clearing the roads rather than putting down materials—since they’ll have to be scraped hours later.
“We’ll do more plowing at first with the type of snow it sounds like we’re going to be getting,” said Taylor. “Crews will begin with just trying to keep the roads clear and as we see the need we’ll put salt down.”
It’s doubtful any of that will be happening ont he flats of the city. Taylor said, as usual, their first area of concentration will be on the hills of the city where roads more rapidly become impassable with heavy snow and ice.
“We doubt if we’ll be doing much to the flats, we usually don’t,” he said. “Bus routes and emergency routes around the hospital we’ll do on the flats, otherwise we’ll be on the hills because we have so many of them.”
The city’s materials stockpile is vast and they are well stocked for whatever situation befalls the next 48 hours. Taylor said what they need most is for people to help them out by being patient.
“Give our trucks room to get through the streets,” said Taylor. “Give us a lane to get throgh with the plow and just be patient with our folks. Eveybody wants the street in front of their hose plowed first and it just doesn’t work that way.”