KANSAS CITY, Mo — The Missouri Department of Transportation and the Kansas Department of Transportation are preparing for Friday's ice and snow event.
MoDOT added blades and treatment spreaders to its trucks on Thursday and plans to continue that process Friday.
Both KDOT and MoDOT crews are monitoring everything: Changes in temperature, freezing rain and when the snow starts to accumulate.
Markl Johnson with MoDOT said crews cannot put any treatment down when it's raining, because it'll just wash away.
"We'll let it rain and as it transitions into freezing rain, we'll go full board," Johnson said. "We'll start putting down rock salt, we'll start with our bridges and overpasses then we'll hit our mainline roads, but yes with that transition we'll start to attack the roads."
It's the same situation for KDOT.
"We probably will not be pretreating it ahead of Friday night because we don't believe the material stick due to all of the wind and rain that is predicted to precede it," KDOT Public Affairs Manager, Mike Quizon said. " But once the rain comes, we will then treat all of the major highways focusing on bridges, overpasses and other elevated roadways."
When the rain transitions into freezing rain, MoDOT is urging drivers to stay off the roadways.
"Because it's going to be tough to manage," Johnson said. "But if they have to get out, we hope that they're driving according to conditions."
KDOT is also prepared for Friday evening's snowfall and freezing rain. New gear has been added to its wing plows, which sit on the right side of the truck.
They're equipped with a strobe light and a taller, illuminated plow marker. The new marker will flash and have a flag on it for visibility.
On December 15, when it snowed, three KDOT wing plows were hit. That's why they're hoping the new additions will make it clearer for drivers to see them when they start their 12 hour shifts.
"We are going to have our area crews on standby," Quizon said. "Our Area Two, which covers Johnson County, and our Area Three, which covers Wyandotte county. Those guys will be on standby so that if and when the freezing rain and ice and snow starts to come on Friday night, we'll be ready and we'll be treating the roads as they come."
If drivers must be on the road, both KDOT and MoDOT are urging "Don't Crowd the Plow" and give trucks at least 100 feet of space to clear the roads.
