LANE COUNTY, Ore. (KMTR) -- While city, county and state road crews have spent most of their hours of the day working to clear the roads in the last two days, they’re also preparing for what’s next as the roads could be extremely slippery on Friday morning.
For Oregon State Police, the spring snow storm has spread troopers thin. Across Lane and Linn County, Oregon State Police troopers have responded to roughly 100 car crashes and accidents since Wednesday morning, March 21st, 2012.
To prevent any more accidents, the work is three fold for crews: plowing, de-icing and sanding.
Main roads are typically the first to be cleared, then side roads after that.
Specifically in Eugene, public work crews are still assessing street side bike lanes and trying to clear those. Most of the roads in Eugene should be clear as of Thursday night.
Springfield says the majority of its focus is on tree damage and any limbs blocking traffic, then any limbs blocking sidewalks.
ODOT crews have their eyes and ears on the road, looking for landslides, standing water and other issues.
“The roads are sanded and we've got de-icers out, they're looking quite a bit better than they did yesterday,” says Eric Alexander of ODOT.
“Everything will be quite saturated, according to the weather forecast it's supposed to be drying out so I think we'll look good for the weekend,” says Alexander.
Storm drain and culvert clogging is another concern for city and county road crews. Street sweeping will ramp up on Friday. Meanwhile, county road crews are traveling around, addressing any possible problems.
ODOT is recommending that drivers be prepared for black ice spots and stay cautious of falling trees through the weekend.
Be cautious: the weather has made many outdoor roadside areas dangerous.
