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The city of Lansing is adjusting its approach for clearing roads amid frigid temperatures.
Road crews decided not to remove snow during Sunday’s winter storm because temperatures were too low for road salt or chemicals to be effective, Lansing Public Service Director Andy Kilpatrick said.
Kilpatrick said removing the fresh snow would have risked leaving only an icy layer, reducing traction for drivers.
“What might be counterintuitive is that a road that is snow covered, many times, will have more traction and be more drivable than one that has packed snow,” Kilpatrick said. “In some cases, quite honestly, a fresh, dry snow with cold temperatures, you’ll get more traction with that snow than you would even just from bare pavement.”
The city is using chloride sand to improve traction after plowing. Kilpatrick said relying on salt alone could worsen conditions by melting snow and allowing it to refreeze as ice.
Shipments of road salt have been delayed for several communities, further complicating things for road crews, city of Jackson spokesperson Christina Crouch said.
East Lansing Public Works Director Ron Lacasse said the city is using salt sparingly to avoid melting and refreezing as much as possible, focusing on major routes, intersections and steep hills.
Kilpatrick said it may be more common in northern Michigan to not rely on completely removing snow and ice.
“Down here, because our temperatures are closer to around freezing, we’re able to effectively clear and use the rock salt to take care of any remaining snow or ice,” Kilpatrick said. “But with the cold temperatures, we’ve just had to change the approach and strategy for keeping the roads passable.”
Kilpatrick said drivers should slow down even when roads appear to be clear because there could be black ice.
