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Plows stick it out while (most) others stay home

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This semi crash mid-afternoon Monday depicts just how hazardous area roads were Monday and Tuesday, when freezing rain and ice coated all paths of travel. Schools canceled, businesses closed, authorities advised no travel unless necessary, as even county snowplows and wreckers had trouble navigating the roads. Untreated secondary roads across the region were especially impassable. For the full story on this accident, this week’s ice storm, and photos, see pages 2-4. (Photo by Bob’s Towing)

(Photo by Crawford County Highway Department)

No vehicles—including this Iowa DOT snow plow—were immune to the icy roads Jan. 16. Trooper Jon Stickney, with the Iowa State Patrol, took this photo Monday morning, after the plow slid off Highway 18/52, between Marquexatte and Monona. The plow had to be towed back onto the road by Bob's Towing, of Prairie du Chien. No one was injured in the incident.

A familiar sight for anyone who attempted to drive Monday or Tuesday was iced-over windows on their vehicle. (Photo by Dawn Sipla)

Everywhere you looked, it was ice earlier this week. Though the freezing rain made for extremely treacherous roads and sidewalks, it was quite a beautiful picture for those who were able to stay home and admire the softer side of mother nature. (Photo by Dawn Sipla)

By Correne Martin

A storm of freezing rain and ice-glazed roadways immobilized and endangered residents across the tri-states Monday and Tuesday. Schools and businesses closed, dozens of cars slid off roads, people fell while trying to walk and emergency vehicles had trouble navigating. In Clayton and Grant Counties, snow plows slid off and rolled over, respectively. A milk truck was also reported off the road in Clayton County and, near Winona, Minn., fire trucks were said to be stuck on a hill, according to the National Weather Service of La Crosse. No serious injuries were reported.

Crawford County plow drivers spent 16 to 17 hours in their trucks Monday and more than 12 hours Tuesday, when, at least they didn’t have to work through their lunches. According to Crawford County Patrol Superintendent Todd Myers, all hands were on deck over the course of the two days. Even the county’s custodian was in a plow, treating the roads.

“With this ice storm, it was basically the reapplication of salt, sand or gravel, or a mixture of those,” Myers explained. “On state roads, we use mostly salt. For county roads, it’s a sand mix with some salt. The townships get some sand and salt but mostly a gravel mix. When it turned more to rain (late Monday into Tuesday), we had to keep applying everything over and over because the rain was washing it off.”

In addition to being responsible for county roads, the county plow crew is in charge of some state highways in their jurisdiction as well as many township and village roads—both seal coated and gravel. They take care of Bridgeport, Prairie du Chien and Wauzeka townships and the villages of Steuben, Bell Center and Haney. Each driver’s cycle takes about two hours from one end to the other in a typical storm, but in this ice storm, Myers said that time was longer.
He noted that all of the county’s trucks were equipped with tire chains to aid in traction but there was one plow that slid off a roadway, with no injuries.

“It’d be fine one minute and, then, five miles down the road, it would be a different story,” he stated. “There were a lot of factors that helped us though. Most people stayed off the roads and stayed home. Many of them couldn’t even get out of their driveways.”

Tuesday was an easier day for the crew due to warming temperatures and the staff being able to keep up with the storm; however, morning fog and the generally damp conditions made for continued poor secondary roads. Plus, with the rain, repeat application was important.

A tow ban in Clayton County was lifted late afternoon Tuesday, as the road conditions improved. Brenda Kleinow, of Bob’s Towing in Prairie du Chien, said their wreckers still weren’t venturing onto gravel roads for towing.

“Thankfully, we haven’t had to do too much as far as car accidents,” Kleinow said. “We’ve been staying on hard surfaces.”

“People who were out really had to slow down,” Myers said.

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