CINCINNATI — Crews are hard at work trying to scrape away the icy mess left behind by Thursday's winter storm before falling temperatures make efforts even more difficult.
Jacqueline Floyd is one of 60 plow drivers clearing Cincinnati's streets after sleet and snow smacked the Tri-State. She and her coworkers pull 12-hour shifts, putting down salt and calcium to eliminate slick spots.
"It takes us a couple of plows before we can even break through to the ice," Floyd said.
Because the storm kept re-covering primary roads, crews were forced to return to the same streets before hitting residential areas.
“For one street it takes hours,” Floyd said. "It basically will take half of the shift, depending on how much snow is on top of it.”
Jarrod Bolden, Cincinnati's superintendent of traffic and road operations, said the combination of precipitation made things hard for their crews.
"We had a lot of ice, and then you compound that with snow accumulation on top of that — that's just like the worst combination you can get," Bolden said.
Dropping temperatures and nasty wind chills add more layers of concern in the next 24 hours, Bolden said. Still, Floyd is using her 10 years of experience to get the job done.
"They say practice makes perfect, so I guess my practice made perfect — I'm not afraid any of it now," Floyd said.
Floyd said she's looking forward to warmer temperatures.
“Sunshine to melt it down," Floyd said, "and getting some good sleep and rest."
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