Snow will be staying in the West Central Ohio area this week, and as we just navigated through a snowstorm Monday into Tuesday morning, another could be on the way.
Allen County and the Ohio Department of Transportation snow trucks have been out clearing roads since early Tuesday morning. Drivers could be facing as long as 12-hour workdays for the rest of the week.
"Kind of driving by the feel of the roads, and we have had some trucks off the road," said Darren Leis, road superintendent at the Allen County Engineers Office.
Darren says that it will take more than just a day to fully clear county roadways, especially with more snow on the way.
"It's going to by the end of the week, there is still hard pack there that with these temperatures our material doesn't work as good as with a higher temperature," said Leis. "Our higher traveled roads, we are going to get them down to pavement sooner than our rural county roads."
Drivers themselves have a lot to mentally and physically prepare for when it comes to battling large amounts of snowfall. Derick Smith, a Highway Technician for the Ohio Department of Transportation District 1, says that drivers need to be careful and alert on roadways.
"You're still getting out of the truck, being mobile... You're getting a little bit of food in you, drinking some water, some coffee, whatever that may be," said Smith.
Darren also wants to remind residents to be careful when driving on the same road as a snow truck.
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation, eleven plows have been struck so far this year. One snow truck accident did result in a death in Medina County.
"The biggest thing is you slow down and give us room to do the job that we need," said Smith. "These trucks are big and there are a lot of blind spots that we can't see cars. We are still going to be working around the clock as it's snowing and the wind is blowing."
