Dropping temperatures bring icy roads to southeast Wisconsin

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WISCONSIN (CBS 58) -- The snow threat has ended, but blowing snow can be a problem for residents in Wisconsin.

Snow covered roads Thursday morning, giving drivers a rough ride, and in some spots drivers are still having trouble on the roads.

But with the temperatures dangerously dropping Thursday night, that could turn all the snow on the roads into ice, making slick roads for drivers more likely than they’ve already been.

“It took me way longer just because the roads were just iced over,” said Averill Lewis, a delivery driver for FedEx.

We caught up with drivers at a gas station in Bayview, filling up their gas tanks and their tires, trying to prepare for their next round on the roads.

“Very bad, the weather is horrible. It’s like very slippery,” said another driver Raul Sanchez, who had to stop to help stranded drivers on the road because of the weather conditions.

“Compared to other days, especially with the cold, it hasn’t been pleasant,” said Lewis.

Averill says being out on the roads all day was tough for him.

“Major slowdowns. Everybody was just a creep on the highway going into work today. Saw a couple of little spin-outs, you know. Because if you don’t have the right tires, you really couldn’t drive this morning,” said Lewis. 

Many drivers took to local streets to get around the highways, but that led them to other issues.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a little sketchy out there with the roads, because sometimes you’ll be on a great road, and then you’ll take a turn, and then it’s just completely bad,” said Chris Graf, another driver in Bayview.

DPW admits the weather created some challenges, but they’ll still have more than a hundred salt trucks out Thursday.

“We have pre-treated solutions that work in below freezing temperatures that will continue to chip away at the ice, or help prevent any additional snow and ice from bonding to the pavement,” said Brian DeNeve from Milwaukee’s Department of Public Works.

As DPW continues working, they ask that drivers watch their speeds, be safe, and give them the space to work.

“It’s really important to always be patient whenever we’re in a snow or ice-controlled operation. There’s 7,000 lane miles of roadways throughout the city,” said DeNeve. “So regardless of how many vehicles we deploy, there’s obviously going to be a time to clear it all.”

And with the temperatures dropping even lower Thursday night, we could see some more ice develop. So if you’ll be out, make sure you take your time out there on the roads.

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