PEORIA, Ill. – The man in charge of the City of Peoria’s snow plowing efforts is happy to hear various reports suggesting we might not get as much snow as first feared out of the upcoming winter storm.
But, Deputy Director of Operations for Peoria Public Works, Sie Maroon tells WMBD’s Craig Collins that doesn’t mean his crews will have an easy time.
“The blowing snow does make things very difficult — not only for our guys, but it makes it difficult for the travelers, especially when they’re in and around a plow truck,” said Maroon. “When we’re pushing dry snow, it creates even more of a white-out.”
Maroon says the cold temperatures will do no favors to his Snow Fighters, or their equipment.
What’s it like to be in a snow plow with blowing and drifting snow all around you?
“When that snow is rolling off the plow, off the end of the plow and it is windy and it is dry, it gets up on the windshield,” said Maroon. “Before you know it your windshield wipers are about an inch thick and they don’t work anymore. There’s a lot of challenges out there.”
But, Maroon says, those crews have been pre-treating the city’s roads, and he thinks that will still help.
Some notes from Peoria Public Works:
- Give yourself plenty of space and distance. Drivers should keep at least 200 feet of distance between their vehicle and a plow.
- Never pass a snowplow on the right.
- Never drive in a snowplow’s blind spots.
- Drivers should also remember that snowplows move slowly, make wide turns, make frequent stops, and overlap lanes. The road behind a snowplow is safer to drive on. Drive slowly, travel with caution, and give yourself extra time if you need to travel during the storm.
- No parking is automatically enforced on snow routes when 2 inches or more of snow is forecasted. No parking on these routes will remain in effect for 48 hours.
