City of Plano public works department working long hours to treat roads
PLANO, Texas (CBSFW.COM) - DFW streets and freeways remain frozen, slick and dangerous Tuesday night.
Very few businesses remained open, which is helping keep people off the roads.
If not for the street crews, the unsung heroes of this winter storm, getting around at all would be next to impossible.
While most of us worked from home today, Fidel Santibáñez was never needed more at the office.
"I've been driving for the last four years," he said.
Santibáñez drives one of the City of Plano's 12 sanding trucks that have been rolling non-stop since before the first winter storm of the year.
"To me it's like I really enjoy it because I really enjoy this job and I like to make sure try to help people too," Santibáñez said.
Each of these drivers loads up a sand and salt mixture about three times per shift.
Then they canvas 200 miles of roads dropping the de-icing material on slick spots or where cars and trucks get stuck.
It's a job that involves a lot of hours and driving down unsafe roads to keep you and I safe.
"Long nights, sometimes it's hard to sleep and coming back again but it's part of our job," Santibáñez said. "Sometimes you go on the road you don't know what's going on because things can be really dangerous. That's the hard part for me."
With two more days of possible winter weather, this is only the beginning of a very long week for these street crews who don't often get the credit they deserve.