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Kalamazoo County Road Crews Deice Before Storm

Posted at 7:57 PM, Feb 17, 2014
and last updated 2014-02-17 20:03:02-05

KALAMAZOO COUNTY, Mich. (Feb. 17, 2014) — The Kalamazoo County Road Commission has spent about 2/3 of its winter budget, according to operations director Travis Bartholomew.

The road commission operates its budget on a calendar year. He said 5 tons of salt have been poured so far this winter.

“With the timing of the storm, we’re hitting it right at the very beginning,” Bartholomew explained.

He said the road commission was well-prepared for this current weather event we’re experiencing. He normally checks the forecast.
A crew poured deicer on the ground before the snowfall to melt the first inch or two of snow.

Throughout Monday afternoon, FOX 17 observed that snowfall was on and off in parts of Kalamazoo County. In Kalamazoo Township, the snow appeared to fall heaviest around 5:30, leading to poor visibility for drivers.

Bartholomew said staffing for the road commission is normal for this round of snow.

“This winter it’s been pretty common to see this 4 to 6 inch amount. It’s really, plow the snow during the storm, once the snow stops, temperature permitting we’ll start applying deicer materials,” he explained.

Bartholomew said crews will spend Tuesday morning clearing up snow that falls between now and then. He hopes the warmer weather will