The Franklin County Highway Department responded “very well” to the snowstorm that slammed the area Thursday, said Eva Gadcke, county highway administrator.
“It really was a very organized, planned process,” Gadcke said.
The highway department employees performed as expected, Gadcke said, adding, “I just can’t brag on them enough. They worked very hard to serve the traveling public.”
Some mailboxes became dislocated from the snowplows pushing the wet, heavy mix off the roadways, Gadcke said.
“That really is the biggest problem we’ve encountered,” Gadcke said, noting that there were very few complaints from the public in terms of how the highway department responded.
On Friday morning, Gadcke was aware of three mailboxes that had been affected, and she said her department was working to correct the situation.
“Those calls are just now trickling in,” Gadcke said.
Crews worked from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, and on Wednesday had already started pretreating dangerous spots like hills and curves.
With the rising temperatures and salt and cinders that were put down, the county’s 839 miles of roads were expected to be cleared soon, she said.
Throughout the event, Gadcke said she never heard complaints of impassable roads from the public or sheriff’s office. Although, she said the roadways were treacherous.
During the storm, the highway department mobilized 30 dump trucks to drop salt and cinders on the roads, seven motor graders to clear snow, 10 other trucks to clear tighter areas and a variety of loaders to supply trucks with road treatments.
The highway department divides the county into an east and west district with three stockpile sites for salt and cinders in each district.
One county dump truck slid off the road and went on its side, but no one was hurt, Gadcke said.
Two other trucks broke down, but one was fixed shortly after.
The Missouri Department of Transportation reported Friday morning that the interstates and major routes were mostly clear, but the agency still cautions motorists to drive slowly and look out for icy patches.
Highway 100, Highway 47 and Highway 50 are examples of major state routes in Franklin County, and there were about 30 MoDOT trucks working in the county.
Union Police closed Highway 47 in Union south of Highway 50 from about 2:30-3:30 p.m. Thursday due to hazardous road conditions. The roadway was reopened after MoDOT treated the surface.
