Madison to plow all streets after over 5″ of snow fall
MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) - Approximately 150 vehicles are hitting the streets of Madison on Friday, working to clear the streets after more than five inches of snow fell on the city through the morning. They will be plowing all Madison streets by the end of the day, the Streets Division indicated.
To speed up the process, the Streets Division enlisted help Parks, Forestry, and Engineering crews. They will all begin clearing roads, along with the help of heavy equipment contractors, around 3 p.m. and could take 12-14 hours, Streets Superintendent Charlie Romines wrote in an update early Friday afternoon.
He urged drivers, including on the Isthmus, to find off-street parking options to give plows room to work. All obstructions in the roadways, like trash and recycling bags, should also be removed. As part of the effort, the Streets Division will enforce emergency parking rules on Saturday and Sunday evenings.
Streets Division crews started salting roads around 3 a.m. However, that did not prevent the streets from turning very slick. Romines explained the combination of heavy snowfall (over 1″ an hour at its peak) and the streets themselves remaining above the freezing points made the roads extra slippery.
“If you need to be on the roads please be slow, be patient, and stay alert,” Romines said. “Remember to anticipate your turns, and to begin stopping sooner than you would in dry conditions. And allow more distance between you and the car in front of you so you do not slide into them.”
In its own update, the Madison Police Dept. reported responding to several crashes, slide-offs, and traffic issues as a result of the weather. Around 8:30 a.m., officers switched to its priority-call protocols and stayed on those procedures for the next four hours.
Romines pointed out that the plows will be on the streets during the evening commute and need extra room to work. In neighborhoods, plows winding through the neighborhoods, mounds of snow will pile up and they are temporary.
As of 1:40 p.m., National Weather Service statistics showed more than five inches of snow fell on Madison.
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