City responding to snowy and icy roads three days after snowstorm

For the second day in a row semi-truck after semi-truck after semi-truck got stuck trying to make it up the hill near 10th and Arapahoe in Lincoln.

Around 9 a.m. Tuesday morning the stuck semis had created a backup nearly four-and-a-half miles long.

From 56th and Highway 2 all the way to 10th and Arapahoe northbound traffic was at a standstill.

“We did deploy some units to that as soon as that occurred we were able to use some liquid de–icer and some brine on that which got through the ice pack very quickly and was able to get traffic moving once again,” Time Byrne, the City street maintenance operations manager, said. 

Lincoln Police were out blocking traffic for several hours.

Semi-trucks had to stop and put chains on their tires to get up the incline.

Around noon traffic was flowing again although slowly.

So why three days after a snowstorm are the roads still not clear? The city says the weather is the biggest factor.

“Although we gain ground during the day through ice melting and cleaning the roads off any residual moisture that’s left on that pavement surface will refreeze overnight giving us another layer of ice in the morning,” Byrne said.

Some have asked does the City need better equipment to prepare for a storm and remove the snow afterward?

“I would say we do [have adequate equipment]. The one thing we always use on every event is to try to mitigate ice and snow compaction is the de-icer,” Byrne said.

Over 90 crews are still plowing and salting roads, but the frigid overnight temperatures render salt ineffective.

Since the snowfall over the weekend accidents city wide have increased overall, but since Monday the number of accidents have significantly dropped.

City officials are asking drivers to give themselves extra time and to be patient as crews are working hard to clear the roads.

“The people who work for us are constant, they’re hard working, they go out in the middle of the night, they go out all night, and they’re the same all the time really working hard to get the streets clear,” Mayor Chris Beutler said.

In trouble spots like 10th and Arapahoe crews put down sand and gravel to give drivers more traction, but officials said it lacks melting properties so it doesn’t help to clear the roads.

The City says they plan to work until the roads are clear and they’re already looking ahead to another possible storm coming this weekend.