Indy DPW, INDOT crews preparing roads for Friday snow accumulation

Indianapolis, Indiana – When snowfall arrives in central Indiana on Thursday night and continues through the night and into early Friday morning, road crews are preparing for rapidly worsening road conditions.

According to the Indianapolis Department of Public Works, workers had been getting ready for the expected snowfall on Thursday all day. According to the government, the workers ensured that the trucks were prepared and fully laden with salt.

According to Indy DPW, from late Thursday night until at least eight a.m. on Friday, dozens of trucks would be traveling across the Circle City.

“We’ll have every truck in our fleet operating to make sure we’re running those routes,” said DPW Public Information Officer Corey Ohlenkamp.

Every snowfall or other winter weather occurrence has unique obstacles, according to Ohlenkamp, but personnel will be equipped with a number of standard techniques to aid with road clearance.

“We will be continually having to run our routes, continually having to put down and reapply treatment to make sure the roads are in good condition,” he said.

Around 70 of the department’s yellow trucks are reportedly getting ready for overnight snow buildup on state and interstate highways, according to the Indiana Department of Public Transportation.

“So it’s quite a bit of snow in a short period of time,” said Kyleigh Cramer, the director of public relations at INDOT. “We already have our yellow trucks out which is fantastic to lay down any pretreatment, making sure that mother nature, if she decides to put any snow at us earlier, we’re ready for it.”

City and state crews intend to alert drivers to some of the biggest roadside hazards while they strive to beat the storm.

“Obviously overnight hours, as those temperatures go down again, you want to be careful on elevated roadway surfaces and bridges,” Ohlenkamp said. “That’s where you’ll see icing first off.”

Drivers should plan to spend more time on the roads and be sure to give lots of extra space between other automobiles and snowplows, he warned, as they should expect a slick commute on Friday morning.

“Don’t tailgate a snowplow,” he said. “Don’t cut off a snowplow. That’s dangerous for both our drivers and our crews. We want to make sure the public and our teams go home safe.”

Additionally, unless it’s an emergency, Indy DPW is requesting that folks avoid driving on Friday morning.

“Any vehicles we can take off the road for that Friday morning commute is going to give our drivers more of a chance to continue treating the roads and make sure they’re in good condition,” Ohlenkamp said.

Additionally, according to INDOT, drivers should use the Traffic Wise app to receive a close-up view of the current traffic situation and road conditions if they must travel on the interstates in the morning.