PASCO, Wash. – 18 Public Works crew members and a handful of vehicles are out and about on the Pasco streets, clearing snow and de-icing nearly 600 miles of street surface.
Their vehicles include four plow trucks, three de-icing rigs, two road graders and two loaders, clearing snow and spraying ice melt.
Tom Holmes, the division manager at Pasco Public Works, says they started preparing for the snow the day before it landed.
“Today we’ll we’ll be out,” said Holmes. “If it’s bad enough, we will go 24/7.”
The Pasco Public Works department has different zones and priorities for snowplows and de-icing. The top, being arterial roads that connect to emergency services. Those include police stations, fire stations and hospitals.
Next are schools and other heavily trafficked roads, followed by residential areas.
Despite the large undertaking, Holmes says his team is enthusiastic about the task.
“They enjoy snow plowing and they’ve done all the training. It’s been ground in their head. So this is this is like, happy time for them,” said Holmes.
Holmes also reminded drivers to stay clear of road crews and to slow down when driving in snowy or icy conditions.
