Road Problems Could Linger After Multiple Freezing Days

RISON - While the amount of frozen precipitation that fell last week in Cleveland County was not too significant compared to other winter storms, the lingering sub-freezing temperatures that left the roadways covered in a sheet of ice for several days could have a lasting impact on the roads for some time, County Judge Jimmy Cummings said. Anywhere from about 1 to 3 inches of sleet and snow fell across the county from Sunday night, Jan. 14, through Monday afternoon, Jan. 15. However, overnight temperatures plunged into the single digits for the first two days after the precipitation and overnight temperatures remained in the mid- to lowerteens for most of the nights that followed. Even when the temperatures managed to rise above freezing during the day last Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 17-18, another cold front crossed the state on Friday dropping daytime temperatures back below freezing for much of last Friday and Saturday. The temperatures fi-nally began to rebound on Monday, Jan. 22. Students from both the Cleveland County and Woodlawn School Districts did not attend school last week due to the driving conditions. The Cleveland County School District was closed on Monday, Jan. 22, as well. School officials for both districts are addressing how to make up those missed days (see story in this issue). Road Conditions Cummings said Tuesday the extended period of ice-covered roads in sub-freezing temperatures will soften the surface of both paved and unpaved roads across the county. He said expected it could go into the spring before conditions would allow the road department to make the proper repairs. One major problem that persistent frozen roadways present are potholes. Cummings explained that water seeps into any small cracks along the surface of a roadway, and once that water freezes and expands, it cracks the pavement. While the county has material to patch the potholes along county...