KENT COUNTY, Mich. – Saturday morning began with at least four to eight inches of fresh snow on the ground. With a morning like that, the Kent County Road Commission says you can expect all kinds of trouble driving, whether it your car is completely covered in snow or stuck period. The County has plows working around the clock in 12-hour shifts to keep the roads as cleared of snow as possible, starting with plowing those most heavily traveled.
“Got stuck, then I got snowed in, then the snow plow locked me in. Thank goodness for neighbors like this who come and help me out,” says Howard James, whose car was stuck in snow in Grand Rapids.
Kent County Road Commission’s Director of Maintenance Jerry Byrne says the County is using sand treated with Liquid Calcium Chloride in this snow storm, but says even more important is drivers towing out their abandoned cars.
“You need to get them out of the way. If we can’t get by them safely, without hitting them, then we’re going to bypass that road and maybe not be back for a day or two. Whatever you can do, we know it’s a hassle and it’s cold, it’s snowing, but you need to get the cars out of the road so the trucks can get down there,” explains Byrne.
While James was digging out his car, a stranger, Dino Newville, came forward with shovel-in-hand to help. Newville says he pays it forward because helping a neighbor out is positively contagious.
For the time being, keep your shovels handy because Mother Nature is proving yet again that this winter is one for the books.
“Born and raised here and this is probably one of the worst ones I’ve seen in a long time,” adds Newville.
Picture courtesy of Jeff VanderVeen: snow plow on Gold Avenue SW in Grand Rapids.
