From City of Madison Streets Division:
For the first time the winter of 2021/2022, Streets Division plow trucks are hitting the salt routes. Roads are slippery, so all roadway users should use caution this morning.
Thirty-two Streets Division trucks will be plowing and applying salt as needed to the salt routes. Crews will be on these routes during the duration of the storm. These are the main thoroughfares of Madison. They are the roads around schools, hospitals, and the ones used by Madison Metro on their bus routes. They make up about half of the traffic lanes of Madison.
The other half of Madison’s traffic lanes are the residential streets. These roadways will not be plowed during this minor winter event. Residential streets are only plowed when there is three or more inches of snow accumulated on the road surface and the storm is at or near its end. And they are never salted.
All roadway users, whether on residential streets or the salt routes, should be slow and cautious this morning. Plan on needing a little extra travel time to get to your Saturday morning destinations.
This winter storm did arrive mostly as rain, though there was some light wintry mix that fell in some areas of the city. Adding to that, temperatures are hovering around freezing, which could make for slick patches. Plus, there is a high potential for a small amount of snow to arrive by 8:00am today that will only had to slippery driving conditions this morning.
Thankfully, forecasts show pavement and air temperatures are expected to rise during the day. But, slippery conditions may persist, especially in low traffic residential areas that are not salted. As always during winter travel, be alert, be patient, and make good choices.
The Streets Division will continue monitoring the roadways and the weather. Future updates will be provided as operations change.