GRAND HAVEN, MICH. — With the snow and cold, counties across West Michigan are all dealing with a similar problem: getting the roads clear.
In Kent County, roads will remain icy, despite not getting much more snow. Salt can't work well given the current temperatures.
Tonight's Forecast: Light snow for most, heavier along the lakeshore
“At 30 degrees, we’re going to put down about 200 lbs per lane mile. If we want the same thing at 15 or 10 degrees, we need to put on 10 times that amount of salt,” said Gerry Byrnes with the Kent County Road Commission.
The Kent County Road Commission instead is plowing roads and putting down a salt and sand mix. While they could dump tons of salt onto the roads and thaw the ice, that would just cause the roads to freeze and thaw more times than necessary--creating more potholes come spring.
It's also bad for our water systems to put a high number of chemicals on the roads.
“Folks just need to slow down, and expect that pack to be there for a while,” Byrnes said.
The same issue is happening in Ottawa County, says communications administrator for the road commission Alex Doty.
“It seems like no end in sight, but our guys are up for the task,” Doty said.
Except on top of the snow-packed pavement, the lakeshore is being hit with another round of lake effect snow.
“There really has been little breaks in between, but there really hasn’t been a lot of time to catch our breath,” Doty said.
Both road commissions are asking for drivers' patience and caution because until the weather "warms up" to 30 degrees, the ice is here to stay.
SEE MORE: Kent County Road Commission warns of icy road conditions
