COUNTY CREWS HIT SNOWY ROADS EARLY; PROGRESS REPORTED

JACKSON - With 600 miles of mostly gravel roads to take care of, Cape Girardeau County highway crews have their work cut out for them when it comes to snow removal.

Bright and early Tuesday morning the workers were on the job, trying to deal with as much as 12 inches of snow that fell around the county on Monday.

"They started at daylight and are moving right along," said 1st District Associate Commissioner Larry Bock. "We are trying to get all the main routes open first that we can. We try to make one path, and then come back later and make another one."

Bock explained it is difficult to use graders on most county roads unless the snow cover is around 8 inches. This week's snow was one of the worst highway workers have had to deal with in several years.

Cape County's highway department has six graders, which are normally scattered around the county at work sites. Sometimes the snow makes it difficult to reach some of the equipment, though this week there were two graders in the shed at the intersection of Highway 34 and 72.

One problem with grading roads that do not have a lot of snow on them is that gravel is scraped off, which eventually has to be replaced. That means the county has gravel bills in addition to the costs of removing the snow and applying sand and cinders.

"We always blade a little gravel off, but we have to make these roads passable so people living on them can get in and out," said Bock. "Hopefully we won't have any more of this this year."

Another concern, especially with extreme cold and high winds, is the drifting of snow, which can make roads impassable in a hurry.

In clearing roads, Bock said the highway department also tries to be alert to people who may need roads opened for possible medical reasons.

Occasionally, the county hires people with their own equipment to assist in snow removal. And there are always volunteers who are willing to help out in opening roads, which Bock points out is always a big help.