Drivers were slipping and sliding across Central Arkansas Monday as Mother Nature dished out another round of winter weather. So with the active season we've had how much longer can road maintenance crews handle it?
Little Rock and Pulaski County say they'll keep maintaining roads as long as the snow keeps coming. It may put a pinch on their budgets later. But for now they're still hard at work.
In Pulaski County road crews spent Monday clearing the way for water to drain so roads don't become total ice rinks with snow mounds damming up rainwater in the middle of the road. "It's a combination we haven't experienced in the county in some time and it's difficult to keep clean," said Sherman Smith with the Pulaski County Public Works Department.
Driver Jerry Kocinski said, "If all this water freezes it's going to be rough." He knows all about the ice threat. He wouldn't even be out if he didn't have to get gas for his generator.
Kocinski lost power this afternoon when a tree knocked out his powerline. Road crews say those trees weighed down by heavy snow are also causing problems for drivers, crashing down on the roads in front of them. As for Tuesday morning Smith said, "A solid sheet of ice is what we're anticipating."
That means schools buses will likely stay parked right where they are. But crews will keep working. Sherman Smith with Pulaski County Public Works says crews will continue taking care of roads no matter what. But if this winter keeps on dishing out storms like this they may have to dip into reserve funds to foot the bill for overtime. "It can be used for tornadoes or flooding or this type of situation," Smith told us.
We checked around with agencies around Central Arkansas and several public works divisions have reserve funds to help pay for additional costs like those racked up during a hard winter.
