KENT COUNTY, Mich. — Crews with the Kent County Road Commission have been working overnight to help clear slushy roads after several inches of heavy, wet snow fell Tuesday.
While the system is tapering off Wednesday morning, some roads remain slippery and snowy, leading many school districts to cancel classes. Now, road crews are working to clear those roads before additional snowfall Thursday.
"We're not using a lot of material, we're going to try to scrape as much of that heavy, wet snow off as we can," said Kent County Road Commission Managing Director Jerry Byrne. "So the effort is scrape off as much as we can, a little salt at the intersections. But we can make a lot more progress today scraping and plowing the snow off."
Byrne said that along with clearing roads, overnight crews addressed downed trees and branches.
"It did slow us down a little bit," Byrne said. "We anticipate more downed trees, with the winds—not really strong—but heavy, wet snow and we'll see more trees down today."
The downed trees caused by the heavy snowfall contributed to power outages, leaving thousands in the dark Wednesday morning.
As crews work to clear roads, Byrne said drivers are encouraged to remain careful.
"This is a high-moisture snow so it is very slippery, so you do need to slow down, even that little bit of snow or ice that's left is going to be slippery," he said. "It's certain driveable, it's just slow down and you can make it."
The road commission is encouraging Michiganders to do the following when they hit the road:
- Reduce speeds – easy to slide/lose control on heavy, wet snow
- Give plows a lot of room – the force of the snow and the material being deployed can be dangerous to vehicles traveling too fast
- Watch for downed trees
- If you see a downed wire, call 911 before Consumers Energy
- Keep kids far away from the road’s edge
Additional snowfall is expected in West Michigan this week, including a high-impact storm Friday into Saturday. Stay with the 13 ON YOUR SIDE Weather Team for up-to-date weather information.
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