By DAVE SCHULTZ
Bluffton Street Commissioner Tim Simpson said Thursday that his workers would do what they can when they can — but a lot will depend on the wind.
Sustained winds of 30 mph with gusts of up to 50 mph are going to cause problems. Up to five inches of snow were expected overnight Thursday to Friday, and with the winds coming from the west, north-south roads are expected to be the most difficult to plow and keep open. All in all, the Christmas weekend forecast looks like it will have all the classic elements of a blizzard — a large amount of snow, visibility of less than a quarter of a mile for at least three hours, and winds greater than 35 miles per hour.
Against that backdrop, Simpson realizes that he has his work cut out for him and the other members of his department.
The plan was to treat intersections with a combination of salt and calcium chloride flakes. Then the plan will be to keep at least two trucks on the streets at a time until the wind breaks, and then a more generalized attack will go into effects.
“If emergency personnel call us, we can open streets ahead of them,” Simpson said. “The wind will be the biggest challenge.”
daves@news-banner.com
