We’ve all seen the forecast; Washtenaw County is expected to receive 8 – 14 inches of snow over the next two days. In addition, we are expecting gusty winds and cold temperatures. These factors will make for a busy week here at the Washtenaw County Road Commission.
Per our Winter Maintenance Policy, while snow is falling, we will be working on our primary routes which include freeways, highways and paved primary roads. We will not start working on our secondary routes which include unpaved roads or subdivision streets until snow has stopped falling and the primary routes are in acceptable condition. Depending on how much snow we get, it will probably be days until we can get snowplows on unpaved roads and into subdivisions/neighborhoods. Residents should prepare accordingly.
Our drivers are scheduled to start very early tomorrow, Wednesday, morning. We anticipate multiple 16-hour days in a row for our drivers, mechanics and support staff.
To help keep the roadways as clear as possible, we have suspended all non-emergency permit-related work within the road right-of-way for the rest of the week, this includes utility work.
If you don’t need to travel, just stay home. While you are home, there are a few things you can do to help us, help you:
- Make sure children play far away from the road and don’t approach our equipment.
- Park vehicles in driveways or parking lots. Keeping them off streets helps us clear narrow roads more quickly.
- Move waste receptacles off the road.
- Do not plow snow from your driveway into or across the roadway. This is against Michigan State Law and it can create major road hazards.
If you do need to travel, go slow and leave plenty of space between vehicles, especially when near our snowplows. Snowplows have very large blind spots, especially when snow is blowing.
Click here to check out our Winter Maintenance FAQ. We will provide updates periodically on our Facebook and Twitter pages throughout the storm.
Questions? Call us at (734) 761-1500 or email [email protected]
Stay safe!
