As the ice storm heads our way this weekend, crews in Lee's Summit are prepping the roadways.
The City of Lee's Summit has been preparing for this ice storm since 3 a.m.
"As part of our snow emergency and patrol plan, when we go into one of these operations, we work around the clock," Public Works Deputy Director Bob Hartnett said. "We don't stop until it's over."
Crews are split into two 12-hour shifts.
One of the drivers is Mike Pickard. He said with storms like these, it’s all about preparation.
“Go home and get a good night's sleep tonight, and be prepared in the morning,” Pickard said.
Hartnett said plans are made to pretreat the roads throughout the area, expecting the worst, but hoping for the best.
“Everything from a minor storm, where the only impacts would be to the transportation system, ice on the streets. That would be at the lower level,” Hartnett said. “All the way at the extreme level where we might have major disruptions: Trees down, power lines down, roads blocked. So we ran all the scenarios and planned for every possible contingency.”
As crews treat the streets, a snow operation center shows where the trucks are located throughout the day.
“We track the routes. Each of those trucks is assigned a route and they will be completing those in smaller phases and then checking in with folks here in the office that will track that,” Hartnett said.
A database later shows what roads have been completed and what roads still need to be treated.
Crews ask that cars not be parked on the street as they clear the roads.
For the latest road conditions in Lee’s Summit, you can check out lssnow.net
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Rae Daniel can be reached at Rae.Daniel@KSHB.com.
