MUSKEGON COUNTY, Mich. — Police say one person was injured after a multi-vehicle pileup in Muskegon Township earlier Wednesday.
US-31 south was closed for roughly two hours, and the freeway was blocked after the interchange with M-120. At least 13 vehicles were involved.
The plows are out trying to make these treacherous roads safer.
Troy Bitley is one of those drivers at the Muskegon County Road Commission. When we met up with him Wednesday afternoon, he was on hour three of a 12-hour shift.
"I've looped this highway from Russell Road to our northern borders three time," Bitley said.
This plow driver has been working towards clearing snow off the roads for 14 years.
"Every part of these roads are slippery, and that's what people don't understand it. They just keep driving as fast as they want to, and they don't seem to slow," Bitley said.
This plow driver and his team are working hard to clear these main roads right now. They have around 1,100 miles to cover.
"This is in good condition. As far as what this way this storm is right now, this lane is in pretty good condition," Bitley said.
Road commission crews have joysticks on their right arms, which help make clearing snow off the roads possible.
"I can control just my belly plate. I can control the front plow if I need to," Bitley added.
Andrew Nichols is also with the Muskegon County Road Commission. He helps maintain Bitley's and the team's trucks.
"My truck driver has been working literally around the clock. Trucks are not getting brakes. They pull into the garage. It's still idling, and the next driver is going into it. So it's exhausting," Muskegon County Road Commission Maintenance Superintendent Andrew Nichols said.
Nichols is looking forward to a warm 20-some degrees Thursday.
"Tomorrow will be the testament to whether we can throw the salt down and really get back to where we were before the storm started," Nichols said. "We've already scheduled our full crew in at 2 a.m. So that day shift will start at 2 a.m. with 45 trucks on the road."
Those drivers are going to need all of the space they can get to get to work. By law, you need to leave 200 feet.
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"My men and women, they need way more space than that. They're going a lot slower. The safest spot is well below or behind my truck. That truck's moving snow off the road and putting material down if they can," Nichols said.
These cold temperatures have prevented them from putting down a lot of salt. Instead, they have been putting down a mixture of 50-50 sand and salt to provide traction for drivers.
"If you're going slow, you shouldn't need much traction," Bitley said.
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