OUTAGAMIE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ) – With snow possible in the coming days, one local county spent Wednesday morning going over its winter preparedness.
Outagamie County Executive Tom Nelson says their snow removal fleet is ready to go, urging drivers to be cautious when approaching them on the roads.
“We see too often people speeding. They’re coming up really close behind the snowplow. They’re passing in a very unsafe way.”
Nelson suggests giving yourself an extra 5-10 minutes to get where you’re going when there’s snow on the ground.
He explains what goes into the decision of making an emergency declaration.
“Kind of look at weather patterns, look at what’s happened in the past, and then also talk to some of my neighbors (in Brown and Winnebago counties). It’s better to air on the side of caution.”
Nelson notes towing bans can go into effect when a tow truck needs to pull a vehicle out of a ditch on a busy highway.
“Try to limit or mitigate the kind of traffic congestion that would result by pulling someone out of a ditch.”
While he says their snowplows are ready to go when needed, Nelson notes the WisDOT 24-hour service helps with some of the county’s major highways.
“Highways 41 and 441, as well as part of Highway 15, we have a 24/7 contract with the state. As soon as the first snowflake falls, until the last snowflake falls, we have trucks who are out there clearing and salting around the clock.”
Nelson notes residents can contact their municipal office to learn more about winter parking restrictions.
