KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City metro area is bracing for winter weather on Friday, saying goodbye to 2020 and hello to rain, sleet and snow.
In Kansas City, Missouri, crews have been pre-treating the roadways since Wednesday.
“During the day today, and during the day yesterday, we actually applied that salt grind, which is really just, we have huge tanks of salt water and that’s really just what it is and that sticks down on the pavement before anything," Maggie Green, with the Kansas City Public Works Department, said.
"Any ice or snow would hit, so it gives us a little salt layer on the roadway before any accumulation or any precipitation starts," Green said.
Green told 41 Action News the city did face some challenges. Due to the pandemic, the first round of budget cuts took place, furloughing several employees. However, Green says all routes will be covered for the incoming snow event.
In Overland Park, Kansas, crews started the process on Thursday at 7 p.m.
“This will be the first major storm of the snow season and our crews are showing up at 7 tonight and after they have their typical briefing they’ll go out and start treating the streets with a mixture of salt, called calcium chloride," Sean Reilly, Overland Park City Manager, said. "By doing that, they help to keep the ice from bonding tot he street too much."
Reilly told 41 Action News that 50 plows run during each 12 hour shift. With snow accumulating throughout the day Friday, Reilly believes crews that work Thursday will be back Friday and into Saturday to keep the roads clear.
“With this storm, with the current forecast of about 3 inches of snow and a little bit of ice, if it holds true, hopefully we’ll be done in about 24 hours after the last snow falls," Reilly said.
