The first winter weather event of the new year dropped snow and ice on the region, but caused few
headaches on the roads this morning.
However, the conditions did prompt a number of school delays in the county.
"We’ve been out on them since 4:30 this morning," said Gary Britten, superintendent of the Wood
County Highway Garage, of the roads. "They’re in pretty good shape."
Most area police departments reported a quiet night on the roadways, with Bowling Green, Perrysburg and
the Wood County Sheriff’s Office reporting few, if any, incidents since midnight or earlier.
The Bowling Green Post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol indicated that they had approximately eight minor
slide-offs or crashes over that period, but scattered throughout the area. The crashes largely took
place on ramps, and were attributed to speeding up or slowing down too quickly for the conditions.
Britten said crews had been out on roadways since Saturday, putting down "ice control," a mix
of salt and gravel, and the trucks were out again this morning.
"They’re all pretty decent," he said of the roads. "There’re some spots here and there,
but I’ve been running around on them since about 5 (o’clock), and I haven’t found anything that’s going
to cause any problems."
Workers are putting the finishing touches on a new stretch of snow fencing along Interstate 75 in the
county, just in time for the weather.
The permanent fencing stretches from the I-75 and Interstate 475 split to Ohio 582, along the southbound
side.
"It has a history of, when it snows, blowing and drifting," said Theresa Pollick, spokesperson
for ODOT District 2.
According to the Associated Press, the fencing will cost just over $90,000.
Pollick indicated that the fencing was installed in early December, and workers "just have to
basically tie it in."
The work is expected to be fully completed within the new few weeks.