Plow crews in Altoona have been out since Tuesday morning’s round of snow, prepping for freezing rain.
Altoona Public Works plow drivers started working 12 hour shifts since the morning’s snowfall and will continue to be on the roads until freezing rain passes through the region.
There’s about 650 tons of salt at the main loading site for plows and they expect to use about 200 tons of it to try and keep the city roads clear, with 15 crews working around the clock to plow and salt the roads.
In the city of Altoona, there are over 180 miles of roads for crews to cover.
The Superintendent of Highways for Altoona Public Works, Al Hykes said Tuesday’s snow came earlier than expected, but that it will make clean up much smoother through the night.
“The little bit of snow this morning probably helped us,” Hykes said. “In that the slush will make it easier to remove the ice later… The actual ice will not be able to bond right to the roads surface, it’ll be bonding to the slush.”
City plows will work throughout the night and morning to treat the roads as needed, much like other crews across the region and they expect to use about 200 tons of salt to treat the roads, saying it typically takes between 18 and 24 hours to completely clear the roads.