The Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) is warning Nebraska residents for the incoming winter storm.
An NDOT spokesperson says its drivers expect high winds to kick up snow, limiting visibility later this week. As for pavement and precipitation, a spokesperson says they're concerned about what will fall Wednesday into Thursday. Conditions may not be completely cleared until Friday or Saturday.
"It's really going to vary a lot on what kind of precipitation leads into it," Jeni Campana said. "That's a question that we really have to find out from our meteorologists."
The road officials are planning their approach Monday, which could form a better plan Tuesday into Wednesday as the storm draws closer.
"We're trying to get as close to the storm as possible so we know what we need to do," Campana said.
Pre-treatment is on the minds of road officials. It only works if it stick to the ground, but NDOT and the National Weather Service are still working to determine if wet precipitation or dry snow will fall. Wet weather will wash the treatment away, dry snow could freeze and slick the roads.
"That's kind of the fine balance that we have to be able to do when we do our treatment options," said Campana.
NDOT's metro superintendent Jim Laughlin says it's going to be windy and cold. He isn't yet sure if his drivers will be working every day this week.
"It's going to be windy, it's going to be cold. So both those are dangerous situations," Laughlin said.
Spokesperson Jeni Campana says the department has the personnel to handle this week's storm. But says if the whole state gets hammered, that might be a different story. NDOT's website shows a number of open positions employing snowplow drivers, which include a bonus.
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Source: KETV.com
