UDOT snowplow drivers are ready for the winter roads
Nov 28, 2022, 6:10 PM | Updated: Nov 29, 2022, 11:17 am
SALT LAKE CITY — Snowplows across the state are already out clearing snow and pre-treating roads.
Plow drivers who head into the mountains have been on the roads since early afternoon. They’re expecting a busy, snowy week.
“The afternoon commute, as well as the morning commute, should be a commuter special, as they say,” said Shawn Wright, UDOT Cottonwoods station supervisor. He oversees the plows in that part of the county.
It’s been nearly two weeks since a snowstorm swept through the state. So, the plow drivers are eager to return to the road.
They have been checking their trucks, loading salt, and gearing up for a statewide storm.
“We’re supposed to get into a snowy pattern the next couple days,” Wright said. “Then we’ll have a little bit of a break and then go back into another snowy pattern. So, we’ve got snow for the next week or so.”
UDOT Station Supervisor Shawn Wright and snowplow driver Nick Kesler look over one of the plows before the storm. (KSL-TV)
Plow drivers at the shed for the Cottonwood Canyons who work a dayshift will extend their day and plow until tonight around eight. Then, the night shift plow drivers will come in and take over until around 4 a.m. when the day crew comes back on.
“It gets a little tricky because you’ve got to staff the crew basically 24 hours so that you’ve got enough manpower on each shift to make the roads safe,” the supervisor explained.
They’re expecting a commuter special in the morning and plan to be out on the roads on and off this week. The plowing supervisor tells me the drivers will be ready to go throughout the week, depending on the arrival of the storms.
“Everybody’s on alert for basically the next week,” Wright said.
We out here. ❄️
📍Parley’s Canyon, 5:00 p.m. pic.twitter.com/FvRWIMfPcw— Utah DOT (@UtahDOT) November 29, 2022
