KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Heavy snow and winter weather are heading to the Kansas City region on Tuesday, but agencies like the Kansas Department of Transportation, Missouri Department of Transportation and Kansas City Public Works are already working to make sure roads are safe for drivers.
“They were out on Friday treating bridges and [are] ready on all fronts for anything,” Delaney Tholen, the public affairs manager with KDOT said.
It’s all hands on deck as road crews get ready for the heavy snow.
“We’ve been clearing off the trucks, washing them down, making sure everything is functioning properly," Markl Johnson, a senior communications specialist for MoDOT said. "So we are ready no matter what."
Preparation is key for road crews, and with plans already in place, crews are well equipped to keep to roads clear and safe.
“We’re talking hydraulics, gas line hoses and salt spreaders, all of that has been checked to make sure it’s functioning properly," Johnson said. "Obviously we filled our gas tanks, we filled up our salt bins, so we are ready to go."
Beginning on Tuesday, KDOT, MoDOT and Kansas City Public Works will have crews on standby.
“First thing in the morning, we will have staff covering all of the routes, to make sure we get a really good salt brine pre-treatment down ahead of that precipitation that we are expecting tomorrow,” Maggie Green, a spokeswoman for KCMO said.
All three agencies are asking drivers to be patient as they continue to work to clear the roads this week amid staffing shortages.
“Once the city goes into active snow operations, the folks that would be patching pot holes, or repairing traffic lights, hop in a plow truck and start plowing and salting our roads," Green said. "So it is sort of that cross training with folks from public works, salt, water, our neighborhood department, our health department. We’ve been training up more staff to be available for plow driving."
Nonetheless before the snow starts to fall, the agencies are urging drivers to prepared if they have to leave home.
“We’re talking bottled water, blankets, gloves, hats, scarves, jumper cables, ice scrapers and wiper fluid," Johnson said. "All of that you should be gathering right now, when it’s clear and sunny. Now is the opportunity to grab those things and be prepared."
KDOT offered a few tips for drivers if they have to leave home during the heavy snowfall as well:
- Try to stay home if you can
- Make sure your windshield wipers are working
- Make sure snow is brushed off of your turn signal
- If you do need roadside assistance dial *47 on Kansas highways or *582
- You can also follow KC scout or KanDrive.org for real-time road information
MoDot offered a few tips for drivers if they need to leave home during the heavy snowfall:
- Avoid driving during the heavy parts of snow fall when it’s coming down
- Make sure to have these items in your car : Bottle water, blankets, gloves, hats, scarves, jumper cables, ice scrapers, wiper fluid.
