TOLEDO, OH (Toledo News Now) - Toledo street crews are getting ready for another round of snowfall, and have already worked 12-hour shifts for 38 of the past 48 days.
Dave Welch, commissioner of Streets, Bridges and Harbor for the City of Toledo, says it's been an extremely busy month of January for those snow plow drivers.
"It's been record-breaking for snow, time my guys have been working and also for our budget," he said. "We've spent about $850,000 so far with all of this snow and ice control."
Welch says all things considered, city plow drivers have done an excellent job both on the clock and off to get ready for the next day of work.
"They're out with a big plow, they have to keep their attention on the road, they have to make sure they're following the curbs," he said. "So it's constant attention. You do that 12 hours, 12 hours, 12 hours, your attention starts to wane a little bit. We allow them during the 12 hour shifts to pull over if they get a little tired or stop for a cup of coffee, so they do that."
Welch says driver safety is a team effort, thanks to the work of city mechanics.
"We have support of our facilities' fleet operations and those guys are running shifts continually to keep our trucks running, because things break down when you run 24-7."
According to Welch, the best way you can help out those drivers is to give them plenty of space out on the roads.