Teamwork trumps icy weather

 

Local public works officials said it was a team effort to make sure roads stayed in good shape during the recent ice storm.

"MoDOT, Jefferson City, and Cole County crews all got material down before the first ice fell, and that kept it from sticking," said Larry Benz, Cole County Public Works director. "We got lucky it stayed warmer than predicted. On Sunday morning, during the last round of ice, I watched it beginning to build up on lines around 3 or 4 a.m. and I thought, 'Here we go,' but we never had a big problem."

Benz said they still have plenty of materials to deal with winter weather now, but will order approximately 500 tons of material to refill the stock used during this storm.

"The citizens staying home and letting us do our job was the other key factor," he said. "We didn't have to worry about going around wrecks in order to get some place, so everybody worked together to get through this as best as possible."

"I can't say enough good things about our guys," said Britt Smith, Jefferson City Operations Division director. "They camped out at the office fearing they might not be able to get back if the ice got bad. Guys who aren't normally drivers volunteered to help so the main line guys could get some rest."

Smith said many times the mechanics who work to make sure the plows keep running often get overlooked for the contributions.

"When a plow breaks down, they have to go out and get them up and running so they can get it back to the shop and fix it," he said. 

"We even had our parking division folks out making sure sidewalks and parking lots were salted."

At the halfway point of winter, the city is in good shape for road supplies, Smith said, but will order about 1,000 tons of material to refill bays after this storm.

"We've had two ice storms, and that's surely enough for the year," he laughed.