Officials: treacherous road conditions expected to stick around
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GIBSON COUNTY, Tenn. — The first winter storm of the year, blankets West Tennessee in a sheet of ice. The slick roads have caused dozens of wrecks and road crews say expect the same or worse into Tuesday morning. With a deep freeze setting in, officials are still urging people to stay off the roads. “People have been very good, staying in and off the roads as much as possible,” Gibson County EMA Director Rickey Graves said. A hazardous commute across West Tennessee. “The roads are treacherous,” driver Tom Sharp said. “I went into work this morning and left early tonight so I could get home before it got real bad.” Road crews were out for hours Sunday into Monday, treating the roads across West Tennessee. But ice, was still a huge problem. “A lot of wrecks, a lot of people spinning after they can’t get traction to get up hill,” Sharp said. Although there were plenty of accidents and even some power outages, officials said it could have been worse. “I think we kind of dodged a bullet, to be honest,” Graves said. “With the amount of rain and ice we actually had.” But overnight, is when the real trouble could begin. “The roads are going to be dangerous,” Graves said. “This stuff is going to re-freeze quickly when the sun goes down. The salt loses its effect, the brine loses its effect.” The Tennessee Department of Transportation said it will be running a slimmed down crew overnight Monday, doing the most clean-up Tuesday morning. But with freezing temperatures expected to be here the rest of the week, it could be a while before things get back to normal. “I’m just going to stay on the road and go slowly, pumping the brakes,” driver Joe Londino said. Officials across West Tennessee are urging residents to stay home Tuesday and only venture out on the roads if you have to, allowing plenty of room for crews to clean-up. TDOT said it will use a mix of rock salt and potato juice to help break down the ice and clear up the roads Tuesday morning.
