OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich. – Oakland County is facing hazardous road conditions as snow turns to slush that could freeze later, creating slick and dangerous surfaces.
Plow crews are working around the clock to keep roads clear and residents safe.
Currently, the Oakland County Road Commission is focusing on clearing main roads, which are mostly free of snow and ice. The biggest challenge remains the slush, especially in turnarounds, which crews are actively addressing.
“We always prepare for the worst,” said Cindy Dingell, public information officer for the Oakland County Road Commission. “If we get something easier, that’s great, but we always expect it to be worse than what the forecast is saying, and sometimes that’s not always the case, but we did find out it was a little worse than what was predicted this time.”
Dingell explained that crews have been working overtime to keep traffic moving and ensure safety.
“We’ve been salting the roads, plowing the roads, we have graders out, we have pickup trucks working on the turnarounds on a lot of the roads with the medians, the Michigan lefts,” Dingell said.
The goal is to get ahead of the storm before nightfall, when temperatures drop, and the slush could refreeze.
“We don’t want these roads to refreeze, so obviously moving this slush off the roads and clearing the shoulders out so they can properly drain is a big task, but we are slowly working on that right now,” Dingell said.
For neighborhood streets, residents will need to be patient. The Road Commission prioritizes main roads first and will address township and subdivision roads later.
“We clear 2,700 miles of county roads and then of course 230 miles of state trunk line, under a state contract, so we will not be getting into those township, subdivision roads likely until tomorrow,” Dingell noted.
Drivers are reminded to give plow trucks plenty of space. It is the law to stay at least 200 feet behind a moving plow, about the length of a football field.
Just today, a plow was hit by a car driving too close, an incident that happens frequently.