(01/09/2020) As wintry weather is expected to move into Mid-Michigan this weekend, local road commissions are gearing up for the wintry mess.
Brent Friess from the Shiawassee County Road Commission said crews are ready for this storm.
"We are double checking everything," he said. "We actually ordered in some more sand and we have two barns pretty well full of salt so we are good for that. Just depends on what it brings."
The storm could bring heavy ice accumulation to the area, which crews say brings a different set of issues.
"Ice just slows the whole process down," Friess said. "Give me six, eight inches, give me a foot of snow, we'll take care of it. When it's ice, it becomes a lot different."
Friess said that if ice accumulation is heavy enough, trees and power lines could end up coming down.
"Think about the weight that's going to put on all of the trees, all the power lines," he said. "That is going to be a challenge."
If trees or power lines end up covering roads, it won't only impact people's travel but it will also impact the crews out clearing the roads, Friess said.
"It's one thing if a tree goes down, OK we can deal with that," he said. "We'll send a grader out and push it off. When there's power lines or there's some type of lines in that tree, we don't let our crews touch it until someone verifies that either the power is dead or that it isn't power so it could sit there awhile."
Friess recommends that people prepare for the storm before it actually arrives. He said that if you need groceries or need to pick up medications, to get it done while the weather is quiet so that you don't get stuck out in the storm.
And while the forecast will continue to be pinpointed in the coming hours, crews are ready for anything.
"We cannot act until it hits," Friess said. "There's not a lot we can do at this point to go pretreat the roads, especially with the amount of rain they are talking. It's going to wash it off. So it's a wait and see. So prepare yourselves and be ready for the long haul here."
Stay with ABC 12 for complete coverage of this upcoming winter storm.