Plow drivers ask for your help keeping roads clear

BOUNTIFUL – While many of us will be enjoying the weekend, plow drivers across the Wasatch Front will likely be putting in some extra-long work days.

“It’s a weekend that we’ll give up to make sure that people can get around,” Bountiful City plow driver, Paul Hartvigsen said. “It’s not unusual for us to put in a 14-hour day.”

The Bountiful Streets Department is used to dealing with additional challenges navigating many neighborhoods along the benches of the city. On Friday, aside from a few minor repairs, their fleet of plow trucks was ready to go, already loaded with salt.

Streets Department Director, Gary Blowers said they have 4,500 tons of salt on hand for the coming storm.

“We’ll have them right on standby,” Blowers said. “No matter what hour it starts snowing and starts to stick to the roads, we’re out.”

Plow drivers, like Hartvigsen, who also serves as the city’s storm water supervisor, said the storms can be exciting, but they can also put a damper on your personal life.

“Depends on if I’ve got a family event or something like that,” Hartvigsen said. “It’s kind of hard, because you have to put your life on hold to be able to take care of these storms that come up.” Blowers added that either way, his drivers are always willing to do the job that the believe is important. “They’re all dedicated employees. They never complain,” he said.

While plow operators will likely already be putting in some long hours, Blowers said there are some things homeowners can do to make their jobs easier and safer, including keeping parked cars off the road.

“It’s hard for us to manipulate around those cars,” Blowers explained. “Those roads get slippery, and those cars are just another obstacle that we can hit.”

Blowers added that the parked cars can also make it tougher to clear the snow, especially in cul-de-sacs, where the plows already have limited space to turn. He also said homeowners should avoid blowing snow from their property, back into the road.

“There’s nothing more frustrating than our guys, being out hour after hour, and come back and somebody’s blown their snow out in the road, or pushed it out in the road,” Blowers said.

Meantime, Bountiful police are warning that homeowners who leave their cars on the road can expect either a late night knock on the door, or a citation.