Rural Oklahoma Counties Ready To Respond To Second Snow Storm

Craig Day, News On 6

WASHINGTON COUNTY – Tuesday's second major winter snowstorm will really put city, county and state road crews to the test.

Many of those folks driving sand trucks and plowing snow packed roads are going on very little rest.

At the ODOT barn in Washington County, crews had to replace a broken hydraulic pump on one of their sand trucks.

They're also getting 2,000 tons of sand and 500 tons of salt in place and ready to put down on the more than 300 lane miles they'll treat when the second major storm hits.

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All over Oklahoma, the same type of preparations are underway. Bartlesville city crews are also working on their heavy equipment to make sure it is ready.

"We're in good shape and we have plenty of material on hand to deal with this storm that we have coming up, and the forecast beyond that looks to be clearing up some, so we're in good shape on material and equipment," Keith Henry, Bartlesville Public Works Department, said.

Those crews will work round the clock to treat streets, just like they did during Oklahoma's historic blizzard.

"The guys are doing good, they have a good attitude about it," Henry said. "They're just tired like everybody else."

To the west in Osage County, Bob Jackson's crews got a little bit of rest over the weekend in anticipation of more snow and more long hours.

"I would like to have saw the other snow gone before a new one came in but we didn't get that," Jackson, an Osage County Commissioner, said.

Jackson's district used up all of its material during the blizzard, but borrowed some from the state. They'll replenish it when another shipment arrives next week.

"If it blows back in we're in trouble, because there is already snow packed six feet high on both sides of the roads, and you've got one-lane traffic," Jackson said.

For county, city, and state crews, it is expected to be a full scale fight against old man winter. One they hate to have to deal with, but a challenge they say they're ready to tackle.

Both ODOT in Washington County and the city of Bartlesville expect more salt and sand to be delivered Tuesday, so they say they'll have enough material on hand for this winter storm.

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