Butler County Engineer
Greg Wilkens reports that conditions on County roads have improved
considerably following the most severe winter storm in several
years. While all roads are passable, some remain partially snow-covered
or slushy. Motorists may also encounter extensive areas of ice
and densely packed snow on roadways and are encouraged to use
extreme caution.
Front-end loaders have
been dispatched to several northern townships to remove snow
at intersections, where huge piles were causing sight distance
problems. Significant drifting was reported across numerous roads,
including Riggs, Contreras, State Line Center, Waynes Trace,
Lanes Mill, and Nichols Roads.
Salt was used sparingly
over the holiday weekend as crews were in a plow-only mode during
the height of the storm, according to Wilkens. "The heavy
snow dictated that we plow which allowed us to preserve our salt
supplies to some degree," he said. "However, areas
that received more ice did have to be treated heavily with salt
and calcium chloride." Approximately 1,157 tons of salt
were spread on County roads throughout the course of the slow-moving
storm.
While the Engineer's
Office is slated to receive delivery of 100 additional tons of
salt today, supplies are beginning to run low. More salt is expected
by later this week, and warmer temperatures should also bring
some relief.
Snow and
Ice Control Crews Working Overtime This Winter
Beginning late Friday
night, successive waves of freezing rain, sleet, and snow pummeled
Butler County for three days resulting in substantial snow and
ice accumulations. BCEO crews reported a mix of ice and snow
across southern townships with more snow to the north. Snow totals
ranged from 5-6 inches in West Chester Township to 10-14 inches
in the Oxford and Middletown areas with three and four foot drifts.
Level 2 and 3 Snow
Emergencies were declared as the snow and ice piled up over the
weekend. Road crews worked around the clock from 7:00 p.m. Friday
through early this Tuesday morning. "We're proud of the
excellent job by our snow and ice control crews," Wilkens
said. "They've sacrificed a lot of long, hard hours to make
our roads safe and passable."
Following a series
of mild winters, road crews have been working a lot of overtime
this year. The severe storm was the latest in a string of winter
weather events that has kept crews busy. "It seems that
for the past two months we've been out every two or three days,"
said snow plow driver Jerry Jackson. "Right now I'm just
looking forward to spring."
For more on BCEO snow
and ice control plus statistics, please see the Snowfighters
Page here on our web site.
# # #
For more information contact:
- Chris
Petrocy, BCEO Public
Information Supervisor
- Greg
Wilkens, P.E., P.S.,
Butler County Engineer
Phone 513.867.5744 • Fax 513.867.5849
