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Plow crews working to clear ice and snow from roads

Posted at 6:40 PM, Feb 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-02-24 19:40:25-05
Earlier this week it seemed as if spring was coming, but by Friday winter was back.
 
Snow, sleet and freezing rain had plow drivers acting fast.  Crews worked to clear the roads, but mother nature made it difficult.
 
"The wind is really something here, that's going to be the thing we're fighting a lot today is the drifting especially in the rural areas," said Brown County Department of Public Works director, Paul Fontecchio.
 
Snow was drifting over the roads and high winds blew salt off the roads, creating a constant headache for plow drivers.
 
"We have three crews that we send out.   Two of them are twelve hour shifts so we have 24 hour coverage on the state and interstate highways and critical county highways, some of the more rural areas are more of a day shift kind of coverage," said Fontecchio.
 
Plow crews can only do so much however, so drivers are being asked to stay alert.
 
"What's in front of you can change so fast.  A car can maybe loose traction and start spinning off and you're not going to be able to stop in time on these roads if you're texting and driving or talking and driving," said Wisconsin Department of Transportation communication manager, Mark Kantola.
 
Plow drivers say the biggest issue they see is driver not paying attention to rapidly changing conditions.  They're asking drivers to stay off of their phones and other distractions and focus on the roads when the weather is bad.