(COLUMBIA, MO) -
It's time again to be prepared for winter weather conditions. In conjunction with the National Weather Service Office Winter Weather Preparedness Day, Columbia Public Works will conduct driver/operator safety training and then the operators and trucks will hit the road to practice their routes.
Columbia Public Works talks about snow and ice management all year. For the past several weeks, Public Works Fleet Maintenance and Street Department Crews have been readying equipment by mounting and testing snow plows, salt spreaders, loaders, and other equipment used to treat and plow Columbia streets. Our GIS folks have been updating maps, we've been updating our web site, COMOSnow.com, and our salt dome is almost full.
Crews have also been going over snow routes and map books to ensure we treat and plow all Columbia Streets as efficiently as possible.
On Wednesday, November 18 from 7:30 am to 3:30 PM, (Winter Weather Awareness Day), you'll see crews and equipment out across Columbia as we conduct our annual practice run.
"By getting the crews out in the trucks and onto the streets, it allows the crews to become familiar with the areas they are assigned, allows them to identify any potential issues associated with their routes, and allows us to test the equipment", said Dave Nichols, Director of Public Works.
While we're out practicing this Wednesday, we ask motorist to give the plows extra room on the road to maneuver. We also encourage motorist to think about how snow covered roads will affect their daily commute and to ensure their vehicles are prepared for winter driving conditions. Also, remember that we're all pedestrians at some point in the day and businesses and residents should think about how they will make sidewalks in front of their homes and businesses passable when snow falls.
On the same day, between 7:30 am and 3:30 PM, Parking Enforcement Agents will be placing informational tags on vehicles parked on snow routes. The tag is informational only and is not a warning or a citation. The tag contains information concerning when priority snow routes become active as ticket and tow zones (when snow accumulates 2 or more inches), and how to sign up for text or email notifications and which web site to monitor.
Media outlets can request interviews and a ride along during the practice run by contacting the public information specialist at (573) 874-7250. Safety meetings will last until about 9:30 am with practice runs beginning around 10 am for media who wish to participate.
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