County engineer asks for patience on road conditions

The combination of wind, snow and sub-zero temperatures over the past week has hampered the Washington County Secondary Road Department's ability to keep roads clear.

County Engineer Jacob Thorius updated the Board of Supervisors Tuesday on his department's efforts to keep roads passable.

'We've been out every day for the past week and a half trying to open stuff up,” Thorius said. 'The wind has not been our friend.”

There have been light snowfalls on and off during that time. Mixed with wind, it makes it difficult for road crews to keep up.

'Even with that little bit we got Monday night, it makes it difficult to get it all pushed back,” Thorius said.

He said that on Saturday morning, crews cleared a road, then got a call two hours later that there was a truck stuck in the snow.

'The wind is causing issues, and the ditches are full,” he said. 'There's nowhere to go with (the snow).”

Thorius told supervisors that the weather forecast for the next week looks more favorable.

'As long as the wind stays down, we'll be able to get ahead of things,” he said. 'Rather than just clearing a road, we can try to open the roads wider.”

He said that they will be switching blades on some trucks in order to put more focus on gravel roads.

On paved roads, they will work on scooping and moving snow.

'We're asking for patience,” Thorius said. 'We ask people to slow down when they see lights on our equipment out there working.”