As wintry weather sets its sights on the metro this weekend, Omaha's Public Works crews are gearing up to hit the roads.
Todd Pfitzer with Omaha Public Works says he's reviewing the city’s plans for handling snow ahead of the area’s first forecasted snowfall. Pfitzer says crews are planning to brine roads ahead of the two storm systems that are expect to hit the metro on Sunday. Brine doesn’t cause snow to melt, he said, but rather stops the snow from adhering to the pavement, making it easier to clear.
Pfitzer tells 6 News that residents should expect to see trucks starting to brine the streets around noon Saturday and continuing until the weather hits. “We’ll stay in that operation until the moisture arrives on Sunday. We do anticipate that it’s gonna be dry until that snow comes in so that will allow our brine to stay in place, we hope, and do its job.”
The two systems are expected to hit Sunday, one in the mid- to late morning and other in mid- to late afternoon.
Contractors are available, which the city calls in for snowfall that exceeds 2 inches, Pfizer said. The city has been prepping its fleet of snow trucks since August, and making sure supplies are in place, he said.
Pfitzer says the city has about 5,000 miles of roads to take care of, with main roads and thoroughfares being the first targets for snow removal, followed by secondary routes.
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