Main roads passable, secondary roads to remain hazardous

Main highways and streets in Saline County are passable, but secondary routes will likely remain hazardous for several days.

The National Weather Service predicts no days in the next seven will have above freezing temperatures and Tuesday's ice from freezing rain is a challenge to remove. A snowplow can remove ice from streets, but it can also remove the street surface along with it.

"On oil and chip it can damage the road," Eldorado Street Superintendent J.B. James said.

Eldorado Street Department worked overtime salting the streets Tuesday night.

"We've got the main roads open pretty good. The side roads are slick," James said.

Crews gave special attention to the roads to Ferrell Hospital, nursing homes and schools.

In Harrisburg crews have the main streets cleared and were working on side streets Wednesday afternoon with a combination of calcium, salt and scraping. Calcium and salt melt some ice and the snowplow blades can remove a layer.

"We'll scrape a little off and come back with calcium and salt," Harrisburg Street Superintendent Rick Brown said.

But as temperatures drop as predicted the options for clearing are limited. Salt no longer melts. Calcium remains somewhat effective at lower temperatures.

"The way they are talking we'll get single digits tonight and we're not going to get much accomplished," Brown said Tuesday.

The Saline County Highway Department crews were concentrating Tuesday on Harco Road and College Road. Jeff Jones said Wednesday the county crews had done about all they could do with temperatures dropping.

There have a been a few incidents of drivers sliding off the road in the county since Tuesday, one resulting in an ambulance call on state Route 145 when a car went into a ditch with water, though it was not deep enough to cause emergency. At least one driver was taken to Harrisburg Medical Center with a minor injury, Sheriff Keith Brown said.

Brown asks drivers who abandon their vehicles that are stranded on highways and leave them for a tow truck to call Saline County Central Dispatch at 252-8661 so deputies do not spend time trying to locate the driver.

"Often times we're left guessing. They can make a phone call to let us know what's going on," Brown said.

If the stranding involves vehicle damage drivers are required to report it to law enforcement. He also said towing companies need the vehicle key to safely tow the machines.

The U.S. Postal Service reminds people to keep their mailboxes and porches cleared of ice so letter carriers can safely deliver the mail.

Wednesday night's low was predicted to be 6 degrees and Thursday night's is 7 degrees. There is a 30 percent chance of snow Friday night into Saturday and slight change of snow Saturday through Sunday.

Around 3 p.m. Wednesday roads were apparently re-icing with two cars reported in ditches - one on Payne Road in rural Galatia and one on College Road at Big Ridge Road.