Overnight freezing will cause messy morning commute

Southern Colorado saw anywhere from a dusting of snow to several inches of accumulation Thursday.

The wet roads are expected to freeze overnight, leaving a layer of ice underneath snow that will fall before the Friday morning commute begins.

Crews have been preparing all Thursday.

“Whenever you have ice underneath the snow, it becomes a real battle to try to get the road cleared,” said Jack Ladley, operations manager for the city of Colorado Springs Public Works Department. He said a 40-man crew has been out since 6 a.m.

Another 40-man crew will come in at midnight.

“Our goal is to get ready for the morning commute and make sure the roads are cleared for schools, too,” Ladley said. “We’ve pre-treated Academy north and south — in its totality. We’ve pre-treated Fillmore hill, Research, Austin Bluffs and Northgate – places where we’ve had known issues and problems in the past.”

Many people were filling up on gas to make sure they were prepared for Friday’s commute.

Corey Anderson was one of those drivers.

“It’s going to be a little treacherous, so I’ll avoid hills and take the long way home to avoid the situation where I need help,” Anderson said.

Alvin Robinson was worried about the coming commute because his car doesn’t handle well in the snow.

“I’ll probably leave about 30 minutes early so I can drive really slow and get there on time,” Robinson said.

Ladley said even with the ice melt down and plows ready to go, drivers should use extreme caution and give themselves plenty of time to get anywhere.

“Also, when you see a plow, they may not see you so give them a wide berth and room to do their job,” Ladley said.

Crews will plow main roads first when the snow begins accumulating.