Town of Collierville
As winter storms wreaked havoc across the nation this week, the dedicated team at Collierville Public Works has been working tirelessly to clear roads covered in ice and snow.
Public Works crews started treating roads Sunday night and returned in the early morning hours Monday. The following days saw them on the front lines for extended hours, with shifts starting at 4:00 AM and lasting up to 14 hours. Despite the bone-chilling weather, the team returned day after day, putting in the hard work to try and make road safer for the community.
According to “Scientific American” there are limitations of salt in extremely cold temperatures, particularly below 20 degrees. The effectiveness of salt diminishes in such conditions, posing a significant challenge for road maintenance during prolonged periods of extreme cold.
Public Works has three snowplows, two are equipped with salt spreaders. They use a salt and sand mixture in a 1 to 3 ratio; sand helps provide traction for vehicles. Every major intersection, fire house driveways, overpasses, and bridges were targeted with salt spreaders. This week, crews spread 62 tons of the salt mixture.
Despite their best efforts, the Public works Team faces substantial challenges when temperatures plummet. The fleet includes three snowplows with two equipped with salt spreaders. The Town is divided into two main sections, each assigned to one salt spreader/snowplow truck. The teams focus on spreading the salt mixture in critical areas, including bridges, intersections, and firehouse driveways. The three trucks then work together to plow all the main roads throughout the Town; some roads, like Poplar Avenue, cooperated better due to their high traffic volume. Collierville Police officers will also report locations in Town that need priority based on what they encounter while on patrol.
TDOT is responsible for state routes and highways such as Poplar Avenue and Highway 72, however, Collierville Public Works was assisting to help get these areas cleared because they are major thoroughfares throughout the Town.
“These types of winter events happen so infrequently; it is hard to justify the investment in more snowplows. It makes more sense to budget for equipment we use more often like sanitation trucks that run five days a week all year long. Snowplows are an expensive investment and spend most of their time sitting idle,” said Josh Russell, Public Works Director.
Public Works will continue to blade through the icy roads today, doing all they can to ensure that the residents of Collierville can safely travel through the community.
