MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — It’s been all hands on deck as crews in the city of Martinsburg work to clear the 66 lane miles under their care. Director of the Department of Public Works for the City of Martinsburg Jeff Wilkerson says they’ve been working 12 hour shifts with sanitation crews working 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and road clearing crews from 5:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. H e says folks in Martinsburg helped by removing their vehicles from the roads that needed to be cleared. He’s hoping for more of that cooperation as folks clear off their sidewalks.
(Photo: City of Martinsburg)
“A lot of people are doing what they’re supposed to when they’re cleaning their sidewalks,” Wilkerson says. “The big problem that we have is once we we get a road clear, people will use snow blowers or shovels and then throw the snow right back into the street, which always causes an issue. So we just ask that when you do clean off your sidewalk just throw it back in (your) yard instead of out in the street.”
Wilkerson says it’s always a good thing to check on your elderly neighbors and help them clear out if you can.
He says they’re working hard to get things picked up before it gets even colder.
“The problem that we’re going to have is tonight with the deep freeze,” he says. “It’s going to be right around zero. Wind chills are going to be -10 to -15°.”
“We made a big push last night and we’re making a big push today to get neighborhoods open, to get streets cleared, to start salting and to get some snow piles removed. We’ve got parking lots downtown that we need to get open,” he says, adding, “We still have sidewalks that need to be cleared up.”
With the frigid temperatures threatening to burst water pipes, Wilkerson recommends, “If you don’t have a basement, or if you have a crawl space that the wind might get through, keep at least one of the the faucets dripping to keep the water flowing so it doesn’t freeze.”
Intersection of King St. and Winchester Avenue (City of Martinsburg)
Wilkerson says roads in the city are in good shape considering the cold temperatures. They’re clearing parking areas downtown, salting covered roads and finishing up neighborhoods. He hopes by Tuesday morning most roads will be back to normal.
