Coming Winter Storm Prompts City Of Tulsa Preparation

The City of Tulsa says employees are ready to handle the expected snowfall this weekend. The city has a couple of equipment yards the snow plow crews use as a starting point and they're expecting a full deployment this weekend, planning to plow 1,700 lane miles of city streets.

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The snow plows are lined up ready to go and the salt is piled high ready for use in what could be the largest snow removal job Tulsa has faced in years. It's been long enough that some snowplow drivers have had little time behind the wheel in actual snow.

“The first little event we had was great to get people out in trucks. We do training during the year, but to get out in trucks is the best thing for them,” said Street Maintenance Manager Tim McCorkell.

Tulsa has 56 salt trucks and snow plows ready to handle what they expect will be rain that changes into snow. If that's what happens, they'll start with salt and plows as soon as the temperature drops below freezing.

The goal is to clear the main roads in 24 hours.

“We try to concentrate on getting one lane open keeping it open until the snow slows down and then we'll team up with multiple trucks on the arterials to move it all off,” said McCorkell.

The forecast prompted a delay in this year's presentation of the Tulsa Christmas Parade. Though it's been held in the cold before, the sponsors say they worried the parade would tie up too many people needed to handle the snow. They're working to reschedule everything.

“There are a lot of emails and phone calls and texts going on right now to make sure everything falls into place,” said Paul Ross with American Waste Control.

The floats were almost ready, but they'll be kept in storage until next Saturday when the forecast should improve.

The city also has a couple of trucks which can spray a salty water mixture, but it doesn't work if there's rain before the snow.