ALTON - Alton’s Public Works Department shined through the ice warning period, keeping the streets and areas of travel throughout Alton perfectly safe.
Bob Barnhart is Alton Public Works director, and Alton Mayor Brant Walker said they couldn’t be more proud of the Alton Public Works crew for their efforts.
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“They have been going about non-stop since the storm started,” Walker said of his Public Works Department’s relentless weekend work. “I am very proud of the job they have done. Alton streets have been very safe thanks to them.”
Walker has been on call throughout the storm when needed. Barnhart has been checking the forecast nearly non stop to make sure his workers are on top of things.
“Ice is always very difficult to pre-treat,” Barnhart said. “The big thing people sometimes don’t understand is we have a lot of roads with hills on them in Alton. A lot of other communities don't have those issues with hills. We have to be careful not to promote refreezing. No one method really works for every situation; you have to be flexible and willing to adapt. Our guys in the street department are all very experienced and do an excellent job.”
Barnhart said the brick streets are not always easy to treat, either.
“The hills made up with brick pavers can become extremely slick,” he said. “When we get freezing temperatures, the ice will melt and refreeze again. We just have to keep reapplying to the brick streets and concrete roads. There is a lot of cold air moving off the Mississippi River and we always have to consider that in our plans.”
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