‘I would rather deal with blizzard conditions’; RIDOT prepares for sleet/ icy conditions on Friday

Crews cannot treat the roads until both the air and the pavement is below 32 degrees.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – It’s round two for Rhode Island crews in one week, dealing with yet another round of New England winter weather.

But some say in a way… Friday’s rain to freezing rain to sleet pattern is much harder to prepare for and maintain safe conditions compared to snow.

Joe Bucci with RIDOT says it’s because with the rain, crews cannot pretreat the roads like they were able to before the blizzard. So, that catch-up game can of course create difficult driving conditions for those on the roads.

“With the rain, we have to wait… because any material we put down will get washed away… so once we see a change over then we will go out and start treating,” Bucci says.

Since last week’s blizzard, crews across the state have been clearing storm drains to prevent any possible flooding from the rain and sleet.

“Slow down, leave space because you don’t know where the ice is going to form, you can’t really see it when it looks like a wet surface but it could be underneath, it ices from the bottom up,” Bucci adds.

Another ongoing concern of RIDOT crews are the potholes on roads across the state. RIDOT says they cannot tend to these until the roads are dry- which won’t be until after Friday’s rain/ sleet event.

Over 150 plows will be on the roads Friday treating the roads. According to RIDOT, that’s the same amount that the state had out during Saturday’s blizzard.