DETROIT – With the wintry mix expected to move in overnight, the travel time to work Tuesday morning will double.
The forecast shows a threat of freezing rain and sleet, which means folks out on the roads will want to take it extra slow, but salt trucks are lined up and ready to go.
All eyes are on the Tuesday (Jan. 23) morning drive. In Oakland County, the Michigan Department of Transportation already has half its fleet out.
“Between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m., we’ll go up to the full fleet so we can get everything cleared up as much as we can during the morning rush hour,” said Craig Bryson of MDOT.
Expect your commute to be messy and crowded. But more than 100 MDOT trucks will be salting and plowing the roads in Oakland County alone.
They’re hoping for the best of this worse-timed snow scenario.
“As long as the temperatures are up, we’re optimistic that the salt will do what it needs to do, and hopefully, the rain will turn a little bit into snow so we can melt it and blade it off the road more easily,” Bryson said.
Michigan State Police posted on X its warning to drivers, asking folks to be prepared, to leave early, and to have an emergency kit for their house and car stocked.
They suggest taking your time and maybe having an extra cup of coffee with you.
“Unfortunately, none of us can control Mother Nature,” Bryson said. “The timing of this is far from ideal, and when you have all that traffic coming out on the roads at the same time as the school buses in the morning, its not a good thing, so we’ll do everything we can to clean up the roads, but if you can stay off the roads, it’s a good time to do that.”
More: Metro Detroit school closings: Check the list for Tuesday, Jan. 22
