The Marion County Road Department’s plow drivers have been putting in long hours trying to keep the roads clear in the face of the heavy snowstorms we’ve been up against; and the county’s chief engineer says their work hasn’t gone unnoticed.

Tyler Christian says he has about 35 drivers available to clear hundreds of miles of rural roads in Marion County; he tells KNIA/KRLS News they have clocked a lot of time behind the wheel, with little sleep and little time at home while dealing with an almost constant onslaught of winter weather.

“They’re away from their families during that time, they don’t get their driveway plowed, they have to commute to and from work, a lot of times in the worst of the worst conditions…I have a lot of appreciation for what those guys do,” Christian says.

“Sometimes they don’t get that recognition from the public, but we’re just out there doing our best and trying to get open the roads as quick as possible so they can get home. You know, they don’t like being out there in those conditions for extended periods of times, either.”

Christian says it can be a daunting task at times, especially when blowing snow re-covers a road a driver may have spent an hour or more clearing off; but he says they keep plugging away, and deserve our thanks.