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Area spends Saturday digging out

SHOVELING OUT — Josh Hawrot of Steubenville was busy Saturday morning shoveling approximately six inches of snow from his driveway after a winter stormed moved through the area Friday night. - Dave Gossett

STEUBENVILLE — Area residents woke up Saturday morning to at least six inches of snow on top of thin ice. City resident Josh Hawrot was out early to start shoveling his driveway and sidewalk while the sun was shining down from clear skies.

“I am hoping the sun will help melt the left over ice on the sidewalk,” Hawrot said.

His hope was felt across the area as street and highway crews worked through the early hours Saturday to try and maintain passable roads until the snow stopped falling just before dawn.

“I think we are in very good shape as of Saturday evening,” said Steubenville Street Superintendent Bob Baird.

“We have a crew wrapping up Saturday evening and if Sunday is as sunny as Saturday was we may call some guys out again to do some more clean-up work. But I am not aware of people having trouble on our streets. There is still some snow on our flat streets that we plow but don’t salt for budgetary reasons. But I believe our streets are in pretty good shape,” declared Baird.

Those thoughts were echoed by Weirton City Manager Travis Blosser who said his Public Works employees, “fared pretty well with the overnight storm.”

“Public Works did an impeccable job as usual. They will continue to monitor our streets to make sure the wet streets don’t develop ice overnight and that monitoring will continue into Sunday,” cited Blosser.

According to Pat Harold of the National Weather Service in Moon Township, Brooke, Hancock and Jefferson counties received an average of six inches early Saturday morning.

“There were reports of eight inches in Mingo Junction and Broadview. The area can expect some light snow showers and the next storm will come in Monday evening. It is a typical January,” Harold reported.

Street crews in Toronto concentrated on cleaning streets near churches, Toronto Mayor John Parker said.

“Our streets are in good shape and crews were focusing on cleaning away the snow near the curbs. We wanted to clean up around our churches for our residents and we are in pretty good shape overall,” said Parker.

Jefferson County Engineer’s Department Assistant General Superintendent Scott Fabian said county workers put a layer of salt on county roads before sleet started to fall,” and that helped us later on.”

“Our crews were out for nearly 20 hours during the storm and we sent them home Saturday afternoon. If we don’t get any snow Sunday we will let our guys get some rest. But if it snows again we will be back out there. But as of Saturday night the roads are in very good shape,” noted Fabian.

The Ohio Department of Transportation operations in Wintersville maintained a crew Saturday night and into Sunday treating slick spots on the roads.

“We are in pretty good shape. There are a couple of problems spots with drifting snow and icy spots. But 80 percent of our state roads are cleared and in good shape. All of our roads are possible but we still urge motorists to use caution as long as there is snow and very cold temperatures,” stated Hugh Sutherland, Transportation Manager for Jefferson County.

(Gossett can be contacted at dgossett@heraldstaronline.com)

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