Cold And Wind Sideline Champaign County Plows Overnight
Recent snowfall in the Chicago area. AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh
The Champaign County Highway Department plans to pull its plows and trucks off the roads overnight to protect staff and equipment.
A spokesperson for the department says they expect blowing snow and extreme wind chills. At such low temperatures, road salt stops working and steel plows can get brittle.
John Ehmen drives a plow for the highway department. He was working north of Rantoul this afternoon.
“The plows we use are made to run right on the pavement," he said. "And all the welds that put them together, you’d be surprised how much stuff breaks.”
Ehmen says he and the other drivers will clear roads until 7 tonight and be back out at 5am tomorrow.
“We have the roads scraped down real well. Everyone should be able to travel fine, they just need to take their time.”
By the weekend, Ehmen says he expects county highways will be back to normal.