Public Works on alert for potential winter weather

Workers with Public Works spent the afternoon filling trucks with a sand and gravel mix to spread across roads in the event they ice over. (RECORD PHOTO/ALDO AMATO)

By Aldo Amato

Staff Reporter

MADISON — Members of the Madison Emergency Management Agency (EMA) and Madison Public Works are preparing for tonight’s expected winter weather event.

Mike Gentle with Madison EMA said that the weather is supposed to move into the area around 10:00 p.m. this evening and continue on into the early morning hours.

“We’ll be having a crew coming out here checking the roads,” he said. “The event is not supposed to hit until after 10:00 p.m.”

Gentle said that the EMA will be monitoring the weather west of Madison in order to determine what actions to take.

“We look at everything west of us like if Muscle Shoals starts having problems with bridges and overpasses then we know to have our guys out here and ready to go,” he said. “We are looking to be ahead of the game.”

Gentle said that the trucks will spread gravel and sand along overpasses in the event that they ice over. The mixture is one that will not breakdown the metals along overpasses and bridges.

Though the event is supposed to bring primarily rain, sleet and a small amount of snow,  Gentle said that Madison could possibly see a “snow burst” like it did nearly two months ago.

“We could have an event like that,” he said. “You never know because we saw where Madison got a lot of snow and Huntsville didn’t. So it’s just unpredictable.”

For more information, call the Madison Public Works at (256) 772-8490.