Winds wipe out street crew efforts

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - Street crews were out all day Thursday working to remove snow from roadways. But as night fell, strong winds hindered their progress.

“We’ve got to go back and redo everything,” said plow driver William McPherson.

As the sun began to set, the winds picked up and temperatures dropped, which caused treated roadways to once again become snow covered.

“They’re all pretty bad right now,” said one driver.

”The biggest thing is turning on the side streets,” said Hamilton County resident, Jared Boncrager. “You slide with all the snow there.”

Road crews worked to keep up with the heavy snow fall. But the roads were blanketed with snow drifts just a short time after plows came through Thursday afternoon.

“It just keeps pounding us. We’re way behind,” admitted McPherson.

“There’s no getting ahead of it,” said plow driver Levi Kendal. “You can push and push and push all night. It makes for really long evenings.”

Road crews said main thoroughfares can withstand blowing snow a little better than the side streets because of the increase in traffic flow. But that didn’t mean the main drags were all clear. Strong winds blew scattered salt off the street and caused drivers to slip and slide their way home.

“It’s really slick,” said driver Gordon Ledbetter. “If you don’t have four-wheel drive, you’ll probably be stranded.”

“It’s horrible,” Kendal said. “The drifts are 2-3 feet deep along the edge of the road. It’s going to be an ugly night.”

Street crews said the best thing you can do with blowing snow and drifts on the roads is to drive slow.