Cook County aims to clear 'every road' as snow falls, official says
CHICAGO (CBS) – Slick streets are a major concern with a winter storm like Thursday's. We've heard from city and state officials in the build up.
But several counties and suburbs are also responsible for countless roads we drive. CBS 2 was joined live by Jennifer "Sis" Killen, the superintendent of the Cook County Transportation Department to talk about how the county has been preparing.
Her team is responsible for clearing some 1,600 lane miles of pavement.
She said her department will have all of their assets dispatched with a 24-hour operation to handle the storm "until we have all of the roadways clear."
Killen added it's not so much the amount of snowfall that's the biggest challenge, it's the extremely high winds expected to accompany it.
"The fact is that we may go down and clear a road, and shortly thereafter with 40 to 50 mile-an-hour winds, that road is going to get covered here yet again," Killen said.
She added her crew is also worried about potential flash freezing as temperatures are expected to drop dramatically on Thursday night.
"We're covering every road across the county big and small," she said.