INDIANAPOLIS — Indianapolis Department of Public Works is on standby for this weekend’s wintry mix and another system that has the potential for a larger impact later next week.
“It could be plow, it could be salt. Our teams are ready to go and do what they need to do,” said Corey Ohlenkamp with DPW.
The department has spent the week getting crews and equipment ready to go. The chance for a mix of rain, snow and ice can make it tricky to treat the roads.
“When pretreating roads, you always want to be careful pretreating too early. If we get a bunch of rain, your pretreat doesn’t stick,” Ohlenkamp said.
That’s why Indy DPW is monitoring the best times to send out crews. A total of 80 trucks are available to clear and treat about 4,000 lane miles across Marion County.
Drivers are on standby Friday evening through Sunday morning.
A big focus will be clearing downtown roads ahead of two big home games for the Colts and Pacers on Saturday night.
“Give yourself extra time to get out to those places you are going to this weekend and make sure you are giving yourself extra space on the roads. You want to make sure you are not right up against someone’s bumper. It may be a little slick out at certain points,” Ohlenkamp said.
This year, Indy DPW has 38 new drivers behind the wheel. 13News caught up with them earlier this year as they trained for the winter season.
“When we had alternate weather days where crews couldn’t be out doing the construction work, they have been practicing their routes,” Ohlenkamp said.
Residents can stay up to date on Indy Snow Force efforts during winter weather events online at indy.gov/snow and on Twitter by following @IndySnowForce and @IndyDPW.
The Indy Snow Force Viewer will also show where roads along standard routes have been recently plowed or treated with salt during a snow event.