The Department of Transportation is tasked with keeping roads clear and safe in some of the worst conditions.
When winter weather is on the way, they have to make sure they have the manpower and equipment to get the job done.
"Just finished cleaning up from the last snow event last weekend. Once our crews are done, we make sure we have enough material on hand. We make sure our trucks are all maintained and serviced and ready to go for the next storm," Sioux Falls Area Engineer Travis Dressen said.
It has already been a very busy year compared to last year for the DOT. Dressen says when a storm is on the way, they need to make sure they have enough of their salt mixtures on hand and their plows are ready to roll.
“So they go around their truck, they make sure the lights are working, make sure none of the hydraulic hoses are leaking, everything is tightened down and ready to go I guess,” Dressen said.
They also need to make sure they have enough crew members to run the plows. Dressen says they have full and part-time employees and reservists to call in when they have to maintain roads for longer hours.
When they see weather moving in, he says they're also in communication with the heads of the Departments of Transportation and Public Safety.
"We're talking about what the National Weather Service is seeing. What they're forecasting; what the winds are gonna do. What the snowfall is gonna be. And then were trying to prepare in advance of that. So were trying to stay one step ahead of it," Dressen said.
Dressen says they have 23 plows in Sioux Falls, seven in Lennox, six in Madison and five in Flandreau.
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