Co. Springs says it will be too cold to treat icy roads: Expect slick conditions for days
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) - Officials in Colorado Springs say they are preparing for a wave of arctic air to descend upon the Pikes Peak region in various ways, calling Friday the "warm before the storm."
Most notably, the city says their plow crews will not be pre-treating roadways because of just how frigid it's going to be through Tuesday. They say that they're also not bothering to de-ice or melt those roads over the weekend, instead laying down materials to give more traction to drivers.
Corey Rivera with City of Colorado Springs Public Works says, "The chemical that we have for de-icing is not made for pre-treating on roadways and so we are not pre-treating our roadways...trying to melt down these roadways will just cause refreezing throughout the roadway so we're going to just let it freeze over."
Colorado Springs Utilities says they're prepared to handle the influx of demand for natural gas and heating for it's customers and are ready to tackle water main breaks or power outages.
They warn if you're using high-wattage space heaters, to be careful you don't overload your circuit.
Officials are also asking people to stay at home if they can, not only because of frost-bite level temperatures outdoors, but because of slick roads.
You can call the Pikes Peak United Way through a 2-1-1 hotline for any non-emergency needs -- whether it involves utilities, food, or emergency shelter.
