A sudden temperature drop caused some refreezing just as the morning commute began today. That and some light snow created challenging conditions for drivers and for City street crews. City snow operations actually began Tuesday evening with a full material spreading operation. About 20 crews covered arterials, bus routes and school routes with granular salt, pre-wet with brine. Crews continued to work overnight monitoring conditions and applying material as needed. Roads were in good condition at 5 a.m. When conditions changed shortly after that, material spreaders began applying deicers at key intersections and bridges, and extra crews were called in. By 8 a.m., a full material spreading operation was under way on all emergency snow routes and arterials as well as school and bus routes.
Most of the main routes that were pretreated are in good condition but some streets continue to be slick, so drivers should use caution. Police report more than 70 accidents since 6:30 this morning. StarTran reports buses are back on schedule, with only a five-minute delay on some routes.
Please stay informed on the status of snow operations in Lincoln. Additional information is available at snow.lincoln.ne.gov. If you have questions, you may call the Public Works Snow Center at 402-441-7644.