MEMPHIS, Tenn. — State officials in Arkansas say keeping roads clear is their top priority as the state prepares for a third round of ice storms while still recovering from the first two.
Tuesday night’s winter storm blanketed streets in eastern Arkansas with a thick layer of ice.
Arkansas Department of Transportation spokesman Dave Parker said they have been preparing for the storm since Sunday. “We have pre-treated. Then systems came through. We had to deal with that. Then we pretreated and went back and plowed whenever we could.”
Parker says hundreds of crews in eastern Arkansas are working to clear the roads, but there are still some slippery spots, particularly on bridges and underpasses.
“Ice is extremely difficult to deal with. It’s not like you can plow it away. It takes time for the chemicals used to kick in and allow us to plow something.”
Parker says the state has enough supplies and manpower, but they want to make sure all resources are allocated appropriately. “We use the really abrasive calcium chloride rock salt on these bridges and overpasses, but if we can keep the 40 and 55 moving reasonably well, that’s a win for us.”
ArDOT says they encourage everyone to stay off the streets as much as possible.
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