WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI - For at least the second year running, Washtenaw County roads officials are looking to bolster the ranks of the fleet of drivers who clear thousands of miles of state highways and county roads when winter snow storms hit.
At the Washtenaw County Road Commission, which handles all public roads outside of city or village limits, roughly one in 10 full-time driver positions is open as of Nov. 25, leaving the agency searching for seven drivers for both seasonal and permanent work, officials said.
That figure matches the need seen early last winter, where widespread concern over driver shortages prompted state officials and road commissions across Michigan to raise the alarm.
But this year with CDL drivers still in high demand across the country, difficulty topping off its workforce is something the Washtenaw County Road Commission has adapted to, according to spokesperson Emily Kizer.
“It’s the nature of doing business these days as public works in 2022, so we definitely still need drivers but we’re doing the best we can to provide a high level of service,” she said, noting the road commission has made 15 hires across its ranks so far this year.
Officials made adjustments to the 46 routes driven when snow piles up to accommodate staffing levels, Kizer said, and the first major snowfall of the year in mid-November went smoothly. At that point, the agency hadn’t officially started its night crew handling major state highways, like I-94 and U.S. 23, but it’s now up and running, she added.
“It’s always kind of a guessing game of when winter is going to start,” Kizer said.
Read more: NOAA’s winter forecast targets Michigan for a sloppy, slick winter
The road commission handles winter maintenance on more than 1,600 miles of county roads and nearly 600 lane miles of highways and expressways through a contract with the Michigan Department of Transportation.
Michigan drivers frequently need a reminder that the agency can’t handle all that turf at once and operates based on a priority system during winter conditions, Kizer said. Roadways are placed in tiers based on traffic volumes and road classifications.
Heavily-trafficked primary routes like highways and paved county roads get first priority, followed by lower-volume routes, subdivision roads and unpaved roadways.
If a storm is long-lasting or the county receives more snowfall, crews may leave the secondary routes to keep the primary ones in good shape, Kizer said, and that could leave subdivision or gravel roads uncleared until several days after a storm. The agency keeps residents updated about its progress via its social media pages.
This year, the agency has received its seasonal pre-fill of road salt and is in “great shape” as far as maintenance materials, Kizer said.
That salt may soon be stored in a new facility, as the road commission is proposing to remove an 1980s-era salt dome at its Zeeb Road headquarters and build a new, roughly 19,000-square-foot storage barn. The plans passed through a first review stage before the Scio Township Planning Commission in mid-November, and officials hope to build the new facility in 2023, Kizer said.
While the logistics of keeping county roads snow and ice free occupy much of officials’ time, there’s still some left over for fun, in the form of the agency’s Paint-a-Plow program.
The initiative allowing school children the chance to decorate plows makes the road commission’s orange trucks traveling art galleries as they traverse the county this winter.
Have more questions about winter road maintenance in Washtenaw County? Find answers here.
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