RENO, Nev. (775 Times, NV Globe) – This winter hasn’t been easy for snowplow operators in our region. These recent storms have created for feet in the mountains, inches on our valley bottom, and a challenge for traffic conditions.

It also means for long hours for crew workers at the Nevada Department of Transportation.

The plows and blowers also come out when the snow does.

Matt Bradbury has been with NDOT for fifteen years. For the whole 24-mile length of the Mount Rose Highway, he is responsible for plows, blowers, and shaving the pack off of snow.

“It’s a battle. Every storm is different, but it’s been a good year so far,” Bradbury said.

“You got to love the snow, you know we have a good crew that helps and a good boss. It’s fun to play with the equipment. It can be tiring sometimes, but we get up and grind it out every day.”

The main thoroughfares are given precedence. Highway Maintenance teams are divided from US-395 North and South, then two other crews take care of I-80 after clearing the Mount Rose Highway. Then, the McCarran loop is divided.

Bradbury went on,

“We get a lot done during the day and night; you know a lot of our cutting is done at night. So, during the day we’re trying to plow as much as we can, do our avalanche control, and get that taken care of before the end of our shift, that way the night guys can focus on widening the road out.”

The work done by highway maintenance ultimately keeps drivers safe on these often changing winter highways.

“It’s a two-lane road so when they get stuck in a lane, we have to help them to help keep the road open and get the traffic moving because it could snowball. One car gets stuck, and it leads to another so we do what we can. We help as much as we can.

According to Bradbury, the greatest thing that motorists can do when traveling on icy roads is to link up, go slowly, and leave space for the plow driver to pass.

Credits: KOLO TV

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