With areas of Door County reporting up to ten inches of snow on Sunday and temperatures dropping to single digits on Tuesday, Highway Commissioner Thad Ash reminds you to be prepared for slippery spots on the roadways and allow more room between your vehicle and other drivers.  He says prior to any major winter weather event, crews will do anti-icing if certain conditions allow for it.  The protocol calls for brine use if low winds and humidity are present, and adequate pavement temperatures are found.

The brine mix will activate on the roads until temperatures drop to ten or twelve degrees when it would fail to liquefy to do any good.  Ash notes that the Wisconsin DOT does not like crews to put sand on the highway roads because it might give drivers a false sense of security.  The Door County Highway Department does use a lot of sand on county and town roads, which is dictated by the respective municipalities.  The Door County Sheriff’s Department acts as the “eyes and ears” for the highway department, according to Ash, regarding hazardous driving conditions.