Crews Busy Treating Green Country Roads To Prepare For Freezing Temperatures

Crews are treating roads around the area to prevent ice from forming on the roadways.

The City applies salt to bridges as the temperature closes in on freezing and then move to other stretches of roadways as needed.

Monday morning’s work was mainly snow plowing, but the crews regrouped midday, refueling and reloading salt trucks, preparing for a busy night treating the roads.

They were out early Monday morning.  By midday, the work was done – the roads were still wet, but clear and drying – before the temperatures plunged.

The main effect for most people…

“It’s cold, really cold!” said Janice Scurlock.

Scurlock says she didn’t wait long for the bus on Memorial.  She had an umbrella for the snow and lots of layers for the cold.

“I put on like five pairs of pants and five jackets,” she said.

Despite the early snow, school continued for the day, but evening activities were called off by Tulsa Public Schools.

Even neighborhood streets beyond the reach of plows and salt trucks were clear by midday, but the snow stuck to cold surfaces near the roads.

Despite the roads being cleared, the cold continued to be an issue.

People downtown bundled up against the cold and watched for puddles right on the verge of freezing.

And many of those people were walking.  For the first time since they appeared in Tulsa, the scooter business was slow.

The giant, wet flakes that made up this snowfall were more annoyance than hazard.  While it took some work to clear off cars, clearing them off Monday is sure to be easier than trying on Tuesday.

“[Tuesday] if it gets very cold, then it’s going to stick to the windshield and stuff and hard to get off,” said Mustafa Shamulzai from Mustafa’s Auto Sales.  “Right now, it’s soft and easy.  You slide it off and that’s it.”

The school district expects to be open as normal Tuesday.