(Photo: Jeffrey D. Allred, KSL, file, 2011)
WASATCH FRONT – Wet weather is expected to pound northern Utah this weekend, bringing rain to the valleys and possible snow in the benches. What are UDOT crews doing to make sure the roads are safe?
Don’t expect to see a lot of trucks pre-treating the roads with ice melting chemicals this weekend. Even if we see six to ten inches of snow on the mountain tops, officials with UDOT don’t expect black ice to form.
“The possibility of the snow sticking to the road isn’t as great as it is later on as we head into the season in November and December,” according to UDOT Spokesman John Gleason.
Typically, Gleason says storms during this part of the year don’t cause them too many headaches.
“They don’t present much of an impact to us because they’re usually warmer storms and the ground temperatures are warmer,” he says.
For now, their biggest priorities are “preservation projects.” These include efforts to seal the cracks in roads to prevent water from seeping in and causing more damage later.
Gleason says, “Those are important projects to make sure that we can keep our roads well maintained during the winter months.”
Also, even if the plows aren’t needed, yet, crews are still getting them ready.
“We’re converting the work trucks into snowplows and making sure they’re ready to go,” Gleason adds.