Parts of northwest Iowa may get a few inches of snow this weekend, and the Iowa Department of Transportation is preparing its fleet of snowplows, end loaders, and motor graders to keep thousands of miles of roads safe for the rest of us.
DOT spokesman Pete Hjelmstad says when you start adding it all up, they cover a lot of ground. “District Two, we have just under 4,000 lane miles. Statewide, lane miles is 24,592,” Hjelmstad says. “If there’s a storm that hits the entire state, which we know does happen, and we have crews out around the state, cleaning every single lane mile, they literally have made a trip around the Earth.”
Even if your area of the state is only expecting a dusting of snow, Hjelmstad says you’d be wise to familiarize yourself with your vehicle’s break-down equipment. “Check your spare. How many people check their spare very often? If you need that spare tire and you get it out of wherever it’s stored in your vehicle and it’s flat, it’s not going to help you whatsoever,” Hjelstad says. “The other thing is, know where your spare is and where the jack is and know how it works.”
Before the foul weather arrives, like this afternoon, he says it would also be a good idea to gather a few important things in your trunk or cargo area, especially if you’ll be hitting the road this weekend.”Make sure you’ve got a cell phone charger in your vehicle. Have a winter survival kit. Make sure your car is in good running order,” Hjelmstad says. “Have jumper cables or one of those jump packs that are really becoming popular right now.”
On average, the Iowa DOT uses more than 136,000 tons of salt and nearly 32 million gallons of brine each year to help maintain safe travel on the state’s primary highway system.
(By Brian Fancher, KLMJ, Hampton)