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GRAND TRAVERSE CO. -- Wicked weather is keeping the Grand Traverse County Road Commission busy. Wednesday crews started plowing the streets at 5 AM.
GT Road Commission Maintenance Supervisor, Jim Valade says "we are doing the best we can. Our crew is out there when nobody wants to be there."
Unfortunately, the winter storm won’t let up.
"We plow it and 15, 20 minutes later you can't even tell we've been there." Claims Valade
GT Road Commission Manager, Mary Gillis is reminds residents "its winter in Northern Michigan so get used to it I guess."
Thirty trucks cover one thousand miles of road. Valade say the key for drivers is to leave early and take your time.
Valade says "be patient, we can't remove the snow as quickly as Mother Nature puts it down. Don't crowd the plow. If you do see a snow plow give them some room. The snow flies off the side of the truck at quite a velocity."
Next year the road commission expects to see a 5% decrease in state funding the effects could mean danger on days like this.
Gillis says”What you are going to see on an extended snow storm situation is that we wont have the people to cover when all the overtime is used up."
Valade says "all of our drivers a number of our drivers have been here for 30 years and they want to go out and get the roads cleared and safe. But its getting tougher and tougher every year to do it."
Next week, the Grand Traverse County Road Commission will decide where cuts are going to be made for next year.
For now, you can expect snow plow drivers to do their best. With more snow on the way, a plan of attack has already been drawn up.
Valade says “once they get the highways clear they'll work on some of our primary roads so hopefully the heavily traveled roads will be cleared by morning.
