WSDOT, city crews ready to clear snowy streets this week

The Washington State Department of Transportation and city of Spokane have a garage full of snow plows and other equipment on standby, ready for when Spokane gets hit with some major snow. Some plows are already on the streets, ready to clear highways and main roads. "Conditions have changed significantly. And that's actually when we see more collisions with our drivers is kind of when it's been a little while between snow events," said Ryan Overton with WSDOT. Drivers are being urged to be extra cautious on the roads this winter. "We just haven't had a winter situation in in a few weeks. If you do come across one of our crew members in a truck, please give them plenty of room," said Kirstin Davis with the city of Spokane. City crews are on-call, ready to respond to whatever areas need assistance the most. "Our priorities are always our main arterials because that is where we see the majority of our traffic go. And then secondly, then we go to our secondary routes, which are our hospital and school routes and hills," Davis said. The city says it will send crews to specific areas depending on snowfall. "We don't really send people out until it snows, and if it's an inch or less than two inches we don't really plow that, we have sanders available. We have, you know, deicing available if necessary. Typically, that happens in those higher elevation streets, you know, heading up the South Hill," Davis said. WSDOT crews will be out clearing I-90 and other highways under state jurisdiction. If you see them while driving, they ask you to give them lots of space. "This plow in particular was hit from somebody who got caught in the curl, lost control and ended up running into the front end of the plow. So give us plenty of space," Overton said. WSDOT says it wants to keep roads cleared and safe for everyone. "But we can't do that unless the public cooperates with us," Overton said. If you need to be on the roads Tuesday night, give yourself extra time to get to your destination, and be patient with other drivers, especially if they're driving snow plows. ►Subscribe:    / 4newsnow   ►Website: http://www.kxly.com ►Twitter:   / kxly4news   ►Facebook:   / kxly4news