Road commissions, MDOT, DTE prep for Wednesday's ice storm

Slick roads, power outages expected

DETROIT – It’s the calm before the ice.

Multiple agencies across Metro Detroit have their crews in positions to roll out after midnight, when freezing rain is expected to start falling.

Wayne County has a midnight call time for its road commission crews.

“By 1 a.m., we should be sitting on all 99 of our routes, getting ready to remove what the conditions warrant,” said Bill Bantam, with Wayne County.

The Michigan Department of Transportation has its 300 cameras trained on the roads.

“What we’re going to be watching is how traffic is moving,” said Diane Cross, with MDOT. “What the trouble spots are, and alerting our county partners to where salt is needed.”

DTE is calling in utility crews from other states in case of power outages and already has crews staged  throughout the service area in anticipation of snapped power lines.

“People underestimate  the impact and how much that actually weighs,” DTE’s Brian Calka said. “The rule of thumb is this: A quarter inch of ice on a power line  is equivalent  in weight to a baby grand piano.”


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