Extreme cold temperatures created icy side streets, and with today’s snowfall, the City of Fort Wayne Street Department is advising residents to use caution when traveling.
For the past three days, the Street Department has been in neighborhoods putting hot sand down. The sand helps with traction, but the product is not able to melt ice when temperatures are in the double-digit negative numbers that we had this week.
The overnight snowfall has covered the ice in neighborhoods and is helping with traction because the ice is not exposed. Plowing on the neighborhood streets would expose the ice and so crews are not going to plow neighborhood streets today.
Current street conditions in Fort Wayne are as follows.
- Priority One Streets (main arterials) – passable with some snow cover and patches of ice.
- Priority Two Streets (secondary collector streets) – passable with some snow cover and patches of ice.
- Priority Three Streets (neighborhood side streets) – ice and snow covered.
With the expected rapid rise of temperatures this weekend we will no doubt see an increase in potholes around the City. Residents should call 311 to report a pothole. If calling at times when 311 is closed, residents should listen to the prompts and press the appropriate one to report a pothole. It is important to be specific about the location of the pothole, including nearby cross streets or an address if possible.
“Our City has been through a lot in the past few days with record-breaking cold temperatures and snow. It’s important for everyone to continue to be careful at home and when traveling,” said Mayor Tom Henry. “I want to thank all of the City employees who’ve worked so hard this week to keep residents, neighborhoods, and businesses as safe as possible.”