The Washtenaw County Road Commission is reminding motorists that winter driving is on its way.
During the last few weeks the Road Commission has been hard at
work preparing for the upcoming winter. Preparations have
included repair and set up of all winter maintenance equipment, as
well as stockpiling salt, sand, and brine for the impending
slippery road conditions. While salt costs are expected to
be 40 percent higher this winter, the Road Commission expects to
have an adequate supply for this season. “Winter maintenance
is a top priority for the Road Commission, and we take preparation
for winter very seriously,” states Jim Harmon, Director of
Operations. “We are prepared for this winter, and we are also
encouraging motorists to prepare before the first snow flies.”
The Washtenaw County Road Commission maintains 1,647 centerline miles of county roads under its jurisdiction. The Road Commission is also contracted by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) to maintain 581 lane miles of state highways within the county. These highways include I-94, US-23, US-12, M-14, M-17, M-52 and M-153. As principal highways carrying the greatest volume of traffic daily, these roads receive top priority for winter maintenance. Heavily traveled paved county roads are the next priority, followed by less traveled paved roads, subdivision streets and unpaved roads.
As was the case last year MDOT has continued to designate Priority #1 (orange routes) and Priority #2 (blue routes) for winter maintenance on all state highways. The Road Commission will continuously maintain both Priority #1 and Priority #2 routes on behalf of MDOT during and after a winter storm until MDOT’s defined level of service can be achieved and roads are passable.
Similar to our efforts on the state highways the Road Commission will maintain non-subdivision paved roads during and after a winter storm until a bare pavement condition is achieved. Due to budgetary constraints, the Road Commission is unable to provide overtime winter maintenance on subdivision streets or unpaved roads unless 4 inches or more of snowfall accumulates, or there is an ice storm or blowing and drifting conditions.
Normal winter conditions are identified as temperatures above 20 degrees, light to moderate winds and snowfall amounts from one to five inches in a 24-hour period. During normal conditions, the Road Commission can generally keep the state highways and paved primary county roads free of ice and snow. However, the pavement may still be wet. When temperatures fall to 10 to 20 degrees, the action of the salt (which lowers the freezing temperature of water) takes longer to work and refreezes at a much faster rate. Salt is very ineffective at temperatures below 10 degrees. The melting rate and dilution of the salt slows way down, and the refreezing process accelerates even more. This causes potential for a more dangerous condition than what previously existed. To continue to apply salt at these very low temperatures will actually cause more problems than it solves. In addition, when wind speeds exceed 15 to 25 mph, the snow that would normally blow across a dry road will adhere to the wet pavement. This will also speed the dilution of the salt, creating a packed-ice type condition with traffic driving over it.
In winter, motorists are reminded to follow Michigan's basic speed law, which requires them to drive at a “careful and prudent speed” in all conditions and which allows them to stop within the clear distance ahead. It may mean driving lower than the posted speed limit.
The Road Commission also reminds motorists, property owners and children to follow these winter safety tips:
For Motorists
Always wear your seatbelt, and be sure that your children are properly buckled up
For Property Owners
For Children
The Washtenaw County Road Commission is ready to do everything we can within our physical and financial resources to keep the roads in a safe and reasonable condition for public travel this winter. But motorists must also do their part to be prepared for the challenges of winter driving.