The Marion County Road Department is making preparations for winter. The department typically stores approximately 5,000 tons of salt and sand for use on county and secondary roads. Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian tells KNIA/KRLS News that it usually takes around four hours for all paved county roads to be treated and plowed once. He says it’s important to remember patience when navigating wintry conditions.

“Our plow drivers are working long hours. They may be working anywhere from 10 to 16 hours a day and turning around and doing that again the next day. We’ve had a couple winters here in recent history where that has gone on for 23 or 24 days straight. We want to get home and get those roads done as quickly as possible, so just be patient with us, because it’s really not that fun out there, it’s fairly stressful out there. We ask that people use caution, be patient, whether they’re on the road or waiting for us to get done.”

While closing roads is rare, the department will work with the sheriff’s office to determine when a tow ban is ordered, or if a road is determined to be impassable. County road conditions can be found here. More from Marion County Engineer Tyler Christian can be heard on an upcoming Let’s Talk Knoxville.