Rural Washington County roads received attention from the road department Monday (Jan. 6) as graters worked to remove ice and snow from gravel roads.
"The grater is actually trying to get under the snow to try and peel it off," said Henry Wilson, Washington County roads supervisor. "What we don't get peeled off, the traffic will pack it back down and it will be just like ice."
Crews give high priority to roads on the north slope near West Fork and Prairie Grove. Residents on Sky View Road, which is on the slope, can easily lose control on the steep hill, Wilson said.
"We'll get the snow peeled off where we can put some chat on it where they can actually get a little bit of grip," Wilson said. "It'll put it to where they can get in and out without too much danger."
Road crews in Springdale pretreated 161 lane miles before the snow came in early Sunday morning (Jan. 5). According to a news release, the pretreated roadways were partly to mostly clear by the mid-afternoon.
In Fayetteville, some roads remained slick or were covered in sand for traction.
Chris Rothwell, a Fayetteville driver, said the roads were better this time around than when the ice storm rolled through in early December.
"I think they did a better pre-treat effort this time," Rothwell said. "I've seen more plows out. But I don't think we had as much ice, so it's easier to get off."