DRAPER -- Utah Department of Transportation workers are anticipating the biggest storm yet this season.
It’s something they prepare for all year, and, even though the big one is forecast for Christmas, the entire crew is expected to be rested up and ready to clear the pavement.
“So we are going to be ready for this,” said David Kelly, who is a transportation technician for UDOT. “We especially make sure all of our equipment is up and going, in top shape. We do walk around and make sure everything is running and ready to go.”
UDOT has enough people and enough plows to have a team on every major state road in Utah at any given time.
But they'll start by sending plows to the interstates and roads that see a lot of cars, like Bangerter Highway and SR-201, and then make their way to secondary roads--like 700 East and State Street.
“We have approximately 500 plows across the state, and we are expecting every single one of them to be in full effect tomorrow,” UDOT spokesman Adan Carrillo said.
As the storm rolls in, the maintenance stations on the west side will make their way to the UDOT maintenance sheds to get ready to battle those elements around 2 a.m.
And as the storm moves toward the east, the other maintenance stations will come in just a few hours later to start a long day of plowing.
“They are doing their jobs, all they need is your patience and a little bit of room to do their work efficiently and they will be out of your way as soon as possible,” Carrillo said.
The plow drivers are only one effective tool in a storm, UDOT also has storm sensors that spray solution to get rid of ice.
