Aurora, Illinois is ready for snow, looks forward to larger public works facility
AURORA, Ill. (CBS) -- Roads were clear in Aurora on Tuesday afternoon, but of course, that was all to change in less than 24 hours.
A winter weather advisory is in effect from 9 a.m. Wednesday until 3 a.m. Thursday for the entirety of the Chicago area. Major travel impacts are expected, including air travel. The worst of this storm is expected to hit in the afternoon and evening.
Snowfall rates could be as high as 1" per hour during the afternoon and evening hours. Snowfall amounts are shaping up to be around 4" to 6" for most of the area — including Aurora — with localized higher amounts near the immediate lakeshore.
Aurora street maintenance crews said the snowstorm coming Wednesday is shaping up to be the biggest storm of the season. Their trucks were already lined up and ready to roll out as soon as the first snow comes.
When a storm is in the forecast, Aurora crews go through a checklist.
"What are my weather conditions? What are my pavement temps going to get. Do I have high winds, not high winds?" said Aurora Supt. of Street Maintenance Timothy Forbes.
The checklist includes inspecting the plow trucks, installing the plows, loading the salt, and getting ahead of any maintenance issues.
The Aurora street maintenance crews were moving late Tuesday to 12-hour shifts, covering 36 routes.
They said this kind of snow event — one with the trucks running around the clock for several days — typically causes more wear-and-tear problems.
"It's a lot more wear and tear," said technician Bobby Wish. "Between plow blades and just the trucks, everything just breaks."
Some residents are preparing for their own slick situations. One of those residents was Peter Dallato, who was prepared with salt.
"I've got little kids, so I don't want them to slip and fall," Dallato said. "I've seen it before, and they pulled me down one time."
Customers are picking up so much salt that the display stacks at the front door of an Aurora Ace Hardware are nearly empty — requiring a refill.
Meanwhile, Aurora will soon have a big advantage against winter weather.
A storage dome in Aurora holds about 3,500 tons of salt. But in just weeks, Aurora is set to move into a new public works facility with space for three and a half times as much, or more than 12,000 tons.
When it moves into the new space, the Street Maintenance Division of the Public Works Department will be under the same roof as other departments -- streamlining communications and making equipment sharing that much faster.
The department will be able to store an entire winter's worth of salt in the city instead of timing out deliveries — which can be tricky.
"There have been years when literally, we've gotten down to, we might have only one salting operation left, and then we're out. We have no more," said Aurora Supt. of Street Maintenance Timothy Forbes.
But even with the current setup, Aurora officials said the city is well-prepared.
"This is probably the biggest event that we've had so far this year, but it's something that we're not oblivious to," said Aurora Assistant Supt. of Street Maintenance Adrian Perez. "We've been through these storms before."
Aurora street crews said they will roll out as soon as the snow starts, covering 36 routes. The streets still have some residual treatment from the last winter weather.
