Local road crews getting ready for snow response

Jan. 23—Area road crews are preparing for the possibility of snow Tuesday.

The forecast from the National Weather Service in Tulsa says 4-6 inches of accumulating snow is possible in the McAlester area with higher amounts possible — according to a Winter Storm Warning issued for the area from noon Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday.

"Travel could become hazardous as roadways become slushy or snow covered along with significantly reduced visibility from heavy snowfall," the weather service said Monday in its hazardous weather outlook.

Pittsburg County commissioners say they've been getting prepared for the potential snowfall forecast for the county Tuesday into Tuesday night.

District 3 Commissioner Ross Selman said he's taken steps to make sure he has enough salt and equipment blades to be ready for the wintry weather.

"I'm good on salt, but I went and got some anyway," Selman said. "I've also ordered new blades."

Commissioners said the blades used to plow snow from roadways can degrade and become ineffective due to repeated use, making it necessary to remove and replace them during time of heavy usage such as times of heavy snow or ice.

Selman said Monday he wasn't certain if the extra replacement blades he'd ordered would arrive by Tuesday, but he wanted to get the process started.

"I'm going to make sure they're on their way," he said. "I want to make sure we have plenty."

County Commission Chairman/District 1 Commissioner Charlie Rogers agreed with the need to have extra blades on-hand for the forecast winter snowfall.

"We will wait and watch the weather," Rogers said. "I'll have my guys put new blades on everything." Rogers said he's aiming to make the switchover before the forecast heavy winter precipitation starts falling.

Selman noted the forecast low over Tuesday night into Wednesday morning was right around the freezing mark of 32 degrees per the forecast as of midday Monday. With forecasters predicting mostly cloudy skies and a high of 39 Wednesday, Selman called on people to be patient.

Another concern is some of the snow on the roads that might melt in the daytime will refreeze overnight.

"Refreezing at night is the thing," Selman said, noting the possibility that some roads that were cleared or thawed at one point could refreeze again.

Crews with the city of McAlester spent their day Monday finishing preparations for Tuesday's winter storm.

Ashley Kennon, public information officer for the city of McAlester, said the city has its plowing equipment on standby along with plenty of salt and deicer available for use on Tuesday.

Kennon said road crews wait and see if any prep can be done to roads before a winter storm hits due to the possibility of rain washing away the pre-treatment.

"They generally wait until they get a better prediction on what type of precipitation falls, Kennon said. "Because there have been several instances in the past where they predicted accumulations and crews went out and did pre-treatment and nothing fell."

According to the city, if accumulating snowfall occurs on city streets, city employees will first clear the "priority 1" roads such as Strong Boulevard, Wyandotte/Wade Watts Avenue, Electric Avenue, A Street, V. Hulbert Smith, and South Street.

"Priority 2" roads include Washington Avenue, D Street, West Street, Monroe Avenue, and other major streets.

The city of McAlester will focus on clearing priority streets before moving onto secondary and neighborhood streets.

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation oversees the clearing and treatment of U.S. Highway 270/Carl Albert Parkway, U.S. Highway 69, Business 69/Main Street, and State Highway 31.

Travelers can check current road conditions in Oklahoma by visiting www.okroads.org. A toll-free numbers are also available by calling ODOT's road conditions hotline at 844-465-4997 or the Oklahoma Turnpike Authority at 877-403-7623.