Busy three days of clearing snow and ice

by Peter Jakey—Managing Editor

Three days of wintry weather, that canceled schools and created hazardous driving conditions, will cost the Presque Isle County Road Commission (PICRC) a total of $150,000. As of Wednesday morning, there was still plenty left to do.

According to PICRC superintendent/manager David Kowalski, crews were out early every day this week clearing roadways.

“Tuesday started with snow and a rain mix and continued throughout the night,” said Kowalski.

Trucks ran on the state system and county primary roads until 8 p.m.

“On some of the secondary roads, we left the 2 inches on Tuesday to help absorb the rainfall,” said Kowalski. “It makes it easier and less expensive to get the road back to a good traveling condition.”

All of the county’s schools were closed on Tuesday, while Rogers City public and parochial schools were open Wednesday.

Kowalski added that this winter weather event was the first time this season that the PICRC was at full staff, where nobody was off with injuries or the novel coronavirus.

Storm totals varied across the county but an average of 4 inches of accumulating snow and ice pellets fell. Crews applied 256 tons of salt to state and county roads combined at a cost of over $18,000.  

“The crew definitely put some time in and stuck with it for three days,” said Kowalski. “We have some great employees that take pride in their work.”

And to think, the county has avoided any large storms the entire winter. The biggest snow event of the season was Dec. 5, 2021 when 6.5 inches was recorded.

Through Tuesday, the snow total for the seaosn stood at 75.25 inches, but that will go slightly higher because of the snow that fell Tuesday night into Wednesday morning.