Clearing the roads for the community

ISHPEMING — Snow plow drivers in the Upper Peninsula have been working a lot of overtime the past couple days to keep the roads safe for the community.

The winter storm has been keeping the drivers very busy. They have plowed over thousands of pounds of snow over the past 48 hours.

There’s a saying that the drivers like to joke about, there’s winter and there’s getting ready for winter.

“That’s what were here for, is to provide safe travel for the public and our employees take pride in that and we want to be out there and cleared as quick as possible. All businesses rely on us, the schools, they feel pressure to get it done. A lot of times we cant help it and it keeps coming,” said Michael Harrington, Marquette County Road Commission Director of Operations and Maintenance.

We rely on snow plows to make it easier to get from place to place every day. As I rode along in the bumpy snow plow with Scotty one of the drivers he told me what helps make his job easier on those 15 hour shifts, like today.

“My family uses these roads, I worry about my daughter and family members driving on the roads. I want to keep them safer, thinking everyone else has the same situation. Their families are out there driving on the roads,” said Scotty Britton, Driver.

Even though the snow is supposed to slow down, that doesn’t mean their job is over just yet.

“When it stops snowing our guys don’t get done working, as soon as it warms up all the slush is going to be on the roads and then were gonna have problems and that will be next weekend,” added Harrington.

The slush can be just as dangerous as ice on the ground. Continue to use caution and leave a few minutes early for your destination.