WYDOT: Give Plows Your Space and Your Patience
The city and state plows are doing a job for you, so return the favor and give them the space and patience they need to work while central Wyoming has been shut down for virtually all travel.
When it's snowing, Wyoming Department of Transportation plow will be working, WYDOT spokesman Jeff Goetz said Monday morning.
Likewise, the City of Casper is out plowing, but only the arterial -- thoroughfare -- streets including East Second and East First streets, 15th Street, South McKinley Street, and Beverly Street.
The plows will create clouds of snow behind them, Goetz said.
WYDOT and Casper plows have lots of lights on the back of their snow-removal vehicles, but the snow clouds sometimes obscure the lights, he said. "So back off from that."
Let the drivers and their plows do their jobs, Goetz added.
"They will pull over eventually, but if we pull over for every single vehicle we'll never get the roads plowed," he said.
On the interstate highways, motorists will see the tow plows that have large blades that swing sideways to clear two lanes at the same time, Goetz said.
"Don't pass on the right, that's where the trailer swings to," he said.
The tow plows will pull over eventually, but they won't pull over for every vehicle, either Goetz said,
"Take your time, don't try to run around the plow, on the right side, especially on the right," he said.
While they're not as wide as the tow plows, the regular plows have wings that extend from their sides, Goetz said.
So drivers make the mistake of trying to pass those trucks and collide.
Last week, a commercial vehicle collided with a plow on Interstate 80.
Goetz encouraged people to turn on their lights, and even their emergency flashers to alert other drivers that a plow is ahead, he said. "It's not so that you can see any better, it's so other people can see you and see where you're at on the road."
The snow isn't the only problem with this storm, Goetz said.
The snow is light and dry, so the winds blow it to create drifts, he said.
Sometimes the plows won't try to clear the roads because drifts form after the plowing and that's a waste of time and resources, Goetz said. "That's kind of pointless."
The storm is expected to extend into early Tuesday, so plowing in some areas won't resume until then, he said.
So the best thing you can do for the road crews and yourself is to stay put.
'I would just avoid going anywhere today," Goetz said.