Global warming hits Kansas

Wichita will add 6 snow crews this winter | Local | Kansas.com

Following a snowy, icy and often blustery winter last year, Wichita's public work officials plan to add six more crews to clear the city's snow emergency routes faster, the city announced Thursday.

The emergency routes are segments of streets that the city intends to clear of snow and ice within an 8-hour shift.

Some 180 equipment operators and 36 supervisors will train Oct. 24 for the expanded routes and the forthcoming winter season.

The city had one of its worst snowstorms in years last Dec. 22 when 6 to 8 inches fell on the Wichita metro area, causing scores of pile-ups on major highways and city streets as well as flight delays and cancellations on the weekend before Christmas.

Such storms can overwhelm plowing crews to the point that they can't complete their routes within a shift because they have to retrace their paths as more snow falls, said Gail Williams, assistant to the director of public works.