Snowstorm & snow removal spending

Plow trucks and sander trucks have been out on highways and other major roads non-stop to battle this week’s snowstorm.

County road commissions have to set aside a significant portion of their budgets each year for snow removal from storms like this one.

So is the Marquette County Road Commission ahead or behind its average snow spending pace for this point in the winter?

Road Commission engineer/manager Jim Iwanicki says so far, they’re behind last year’s pace in terms of spending, but he says last year was something of an anomaly with a lighter snow load than usual.

This week’s storm should change the budgetary picture somewhat; Iwanicki says this will probably place the Road Commission ahead of last year’s pace.

But the official word won’t come in until next week, when the plow and sander drivers get paid for this week’s work.

The Road Commission is asking drivers to not pass plow trucks on the right because if that truck has a wing plow, the snow kicked up from the plow will prevent the driver from seeing you.