GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The roads in Kent County are dry at the moment but that might not be the case Wednesday night. The Kent County Road Commission anticipates inclement weather, which means they're in preparation mode.
"It really could make some challenging traveling conditions, whether it be Wednesday night or, for sure, Thursday," said Steve Roon, director of Road Construction and Maintenance for the Kent County Road Commission.
Roon said they'll start by "pre-treating" the county's bridge decks.
"We're going to put down a liquid on the bridge decks, and we need to kind of have it dry in place. We're hoping to get a round of that done tomorrow in preparation for what's coming," Roon added.
Depending on the weather, around 90 drivers will be treating the roads starting at 4 a.m. Thursday morning till 6 p.m. at night.
"We want to get those started before the men and women have to head to work or to school," said Roon. "Then we'll bring in a crew of about 40, plus or minus, that come in at 6 p.m. and work from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. for our night crews."
Roon said crews will either use salt or a mixture of salt and sand called an abrasive, whichever is more appropriate for the roads.
"In any given storm, you know, we can use multiple thousands of tons of salt and sand. We've got more of a mixture where we're going to have sand and salt mixed together. We'll use a lot more of the abrasives, the sand that gives traction, because ice is so hard to really peel off the road and to treat it enough to get it fully removed," Roon said.
While the crews try to keep drivers on the road safe, Roon hopes they'll extend the same courtesy to those treating the roads.
"One of the biggest things, and when our men and women are out trying to provide the best driving conditions they can, whether they be mechanically scraping the snow and ice off, or providing this material with the salt and the sand, is give them room. Give them room to do their job," said Roon.
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