Warm weather can turn to freezing temperatures and snow with little warning this time of year; so the Marion County Road Department is gearing up for battling winter weather…however bad it may be.

The county has already ordered and laid in its supply of salt for the winter; it has a flexible spending plan which allows it to buy more if necessary, since it’s never possible to know how much or how little will be needed.

County Engineer Tyler Christian tells KNIA/KRLS News the department’s trucks are nearly ready for conversion to winter operations when necessary.

“We have been through all but I think one truck that’s broke down, as far as getting the plow and…salt-sand spreaders; all the maintenance work done and any repairs that are needed,” Christian says. “You know, a couple weeks ago when western Iowa was getting snow we probably weren’t quite a hundred percent there; but I can say all but one truck is ready to go and the snowplows for the graders are all ready to go as well.”

Christian says the county’s plows don’t run as frequently as the ones operated by the state; at the height of any snow storm, being behind the wheel for hours takes its toll, so he makes sure drivers get at least an eight-hour break to rest up, and that they get frequent breaks during the day.

You can find out more about preparations for this year’s winter driving season during today’s edition of Let’s Talk Knoxville.