Plows, sand-salt mix help clear roads

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) - With tighter budgets, many counties are looking for more efficient ways of plowing roads. One way is to use larger plows like the wing plows used in Muskegon County.

Travel times for many commuters were extended Monday, and there were crashes and slide-offs across West Michigan because of snowy conditions.

But perhaps no one knows snow like the plow drivers cleaning up that lake-effect snow.

"It does get kind of crazy," said Muskegon County plow driver Jim Boeve.

Boeve is in his element in the elements.

"It's nice to get in the truck again and do some plowing," he told 24 Hour News 8.

This season, half of Muskegon County's plows, like Boeve's, implement wing plows that stick out into the roadway.

"They take the place of another truck, actually," explained Laurie Peterson of the Muskegon County Road Commission. "Because they can do two lanes at a time."

On Monday, the snow wasn't sticking on Boeve's U.S. 31 route.

"Got to just keep moving on a day like today," said Boeve. "The snow's not really accumulating a whole lot. We're just maintaining it and scraping it off the best we can."

But the snow is not the only problem. Frigid temperatures have made keeping roads clear even more difficult.

"Now it's way too cold to put salt down, so now we've got a bit of a challenge here," said Peterson.

In Kent County -- and in many counties -- road crews spread a mixture of sand, salt and chloride called half-and-half on the roads because temperatures in the teens kept typical road salt from working.

"It's better than nothing," said Kent County Road Commission Director Jerry Byrne.

"More or less, it kind of mills up on the surface, and then you kind of scrape it off eventually, and then you reapply the best you can," Boeve explained.

Whether the solution is a muddy mixture or a larger plow, drivers like Boeve need as much help as they can get on days like Monday.

Since Muskegon County added those larger plows to about half its fleet, officials have reminded drivers to watch out for those wings, which are also used in other West Michigan counties.