Local crews with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are getting their trucks ready ahead of the upcoming winter storm.
CARBONDALE, Ill. (WSIL) -- Local crews with the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) are getting their trucks ready ahead of the upcoming winter storm.
They will be clearing the roadways so people like Johnnie Frailey can go where they need to after the weather clears. He says he is out getting what he needs, but if he needs anything else, it will have to wait.
“Just figure out a day to do it without the ice and snow,� Frailey said.
Robert Graeff with IDOT says they are monitoring the changing weather models, and already have crews on standby.
“I can tell you right now that our forces did pre-treat because the potential of this event could be significant,� Graeff said.
He says they will have crews working split shifts during the weather, and they plan to start clearing interstates and then work on the expressways.Â
“That doesn't mean we ignore other routes; it's just that our priorities are the interstates and then the expressways in our district,� Graeff said.
Graeff says they have what they need to clear the roads.
“We've got new employees that onboarded just yesterday, so we're in the process of training them, getting them up to speed,� Graeff says. “We're perfectly fine on salt supplies. So we've got commodities that are ready to be used. And we're just getting ready to go at this point.�
Both law enforcement and transportation officials are asking people to take extra precautions if they have to travel, especially in construction zones like the one on I-57 near Goreville.
“We're really concerned about the construction zone at the Goreville Hill,� Graeff says. “And if something happens in that head-to-head traffic, it's very difficult for the Illinois State Police to get that cleared.�
He says people may not be able to tell the difference with the icy road conditions.
“With ice, especially at night, the glare doesn't differentiate. So people continue to drive their normal speed patterns, and that's never a good thing because, you know, speed is not your friend during any winter event,� Graeff said.
Officials say if you have to travel during the winter weather and encounter a snowplow, stay at least 200 feet away. Plow drivers can make sudden stops, which could put you at risk if you're unprepared.
