News release from the Allen County Public Information Office:
Travel Advisory Issued for Allen County
(January 12, 2015) – The Allen County Department of Homeland Security has issued a Winter Weather Travel ADVISORY for Allen County, in effect until further notice. The issuance was made following consultation with the Allen County Highway Department and Allen County Sheriff’s Office.
A Travel ADVISORY means that routine travel or activities may be restricted in areas because of a hazardous situation and individuals should use caution or avoid those areas.
Though traffic has been light on county roads this evening, several slide-offs have been reported. Conditions are expected to worsen overnight with additional snow and sleet in the forecast.
County Highway Department road crews will begin plowing and treating county roads at approximately 4 a.m. tomorrow. The Highway Department uses several types of vehicles for snow and ice control – five graders, 25 tandem axle dump trucks, seven single axle dump trucks, and four one-ton small dump trucks. ACHD also uses eight heavy duty pick-up trucks to help clear road intersections and smaller areas. Allen County is divided into north and south districts with 12 zones in each district. Each zone will have at least one truck, and some will have two or more trucks. Graders are assigned to gravel roads, areas with large drifts of snow, and clearing berms of snow build-ups. The anti-icing materials used are sand, rock, salt, calcium chloride and stone chips. A sand-salt mixture will be used on most roads. Calcium chloride mixed with sand and salt will be used on roads that need to be cleaned to bare pavement. Stone chips will be used on gravel roads when they become slippery. On higher traffic count highways, liquid calcium chloride will be applied along with a salt-sand mixture. 36 trucks are outfitted with systems that dispense the liquid onto the salt and sand. The calcium chloride solution speeds the chemical reaction of the salt, causing it to melt snow and ice much quicker.
Further updates on the County’s travel status will be issued as needed.
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