The Iowa Department of Transportation’s warning travelers of another blast of winter weather headed our way. Dennis Burkheimer, the D-O-T’s Director of Winter Operations, says unlike two or three recent winter storms, we won’t get wind with this one, which is headed up from the south. He expects 3-5 inches of new snow in the southern parts of Iowa, one-to-three inches in central Iowa.
It’s going to be very cold, which Burkheimer says makes it hard on the road crews who have to go out and tackle the snow and ice. Road crews have had plenty of practice recently, and the winter roads administrator says that’s part of the problem. Burkheimer says this one’s just more stress on the roadworkers and equipment, since they’ve been fighting one storm after another since late November. They’ve been working 12-hour shifts, and it tends to stress the personnel as well as the equipment.
Traffic reporters say the agency was caught off-guard by the last storm, and state troopers repeatedly called crews back to put down more salt and sand on spots where the extreme cold made it hard to clear away slippery ice and snow. Burkheimer says they’re keeping a close eye on this one. As for the drivers, Burkheimer says it’s a good idea to carry along a shovel and a strip of carpet in case you do get stuck and have to dig your way out of a snowy or slippery spot.