Road commission ready for winter weather

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The St. Clair County Road Commission is preparing for the upcoming winter driving season. Director Kirk Weston says after a relatively mild winter last year, the road commission will be ready with rock salt and plow trucks when the snow begins to fly. Weston tells WPHM crews will be doing all they can to make sure your commute is a safe one, including night patrols which will be checking area roadways for ice. “We’ll check those bridges first thing in the morning,” said Weston. “They’re out there to protect the motoring public, make sure they’re (the roads) are treated.” Weston says drivers should be cautious on bridges and overpasses as they are the first to freeze when temperatures begin to drop. He adds black ice is especially prevalent this time of year. The St. Clair County Road Commission uses a combination of rock salt and calcium chloride to treat its roads. Weston says the road commission in conjunction with MDOT is  looking into other alternatives to treat roads. The county has experimented with sugar beet juice but Weston says they haven’t yet found found a cost-effective alternative for salt.