For many Americans, Thanksgiving evening consists of laying on the couch and waiting for the sleepy effect from the tryptophan in our turkey dinners to wear off. But for Leelanau County Road Commission drivers, Thanksgiving Day saw the first night shift in four “all call” days as they fought to keep our roads from being buried in snow.
The Traverse City area received about two feet of seasonal snowfall by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, according to the National Weather Service. Winter finally came.
Road Commission crews rose to the challenge over the holiday weekend. For “all call” events like these, the road commission has almost everyone on the clock, including 31 drivers across their 20 snowplows. By Dec. 3, they had plowed nearly 10,000 miles of road.
Staff were able to precisely measure how many miles of the road were plowed, along with the amount of sand, salt, and other materials used, thanks to fleet tracking software by Samsara.
By carefully monitoring material usage and restocking as needed, the road commission shows they want to use taxpayer dollars from the county-wide primary roads and highways maintenance and repair millage as effectively as possible. Leelanau County has funded road maintenance through a millage since 1986.
Even as the accumulated snow started to melt, fresh snowfall started Tuesday. A weather alert is still in effect at the time of writing. By time this edition hits the stands, another eight inches of snow are expected. It will also be below freezing, and the temperature changes may create a hazardous layer of ice.
The Road Commission should be busy, as it’s becoming apparent that northern Michigan may not have another mild winter this season.
As drivers, we can help by heeding the new “Stay Back 200” law, which was enacted by the state senate in July and requires us to stay at least 200 feet behind active snowplows that are actively plowing, salting, or sanding our roads, unless legally passing or overtaking them. Drivers can tell a snowplow is active because it will typically be flashing its lights.
This law also requires people to stop at least 20 feet away from a snowplow at an intersection. A flyer by the Michigan County Road Commission Self-Insurance Pool explains that safer spacing reduces the number of crashes, saving everyone time and money.
The flyer also points out the obvious: a passenger vehicle that collides with a plow truck is going to take far worse damage in the crash.
Be safe out there.
