Snowplowing by the Michigan Department of Transportation will be reduced in Mackinac County on M-123, M-129, M-134, I-75 Business Loop, and M-185 on Mackinac Island, as well as on other routes in the state. The plan was announced Monday, November 24.

Following a snowstorm, crews will clear most snow and ice from roads, and roads will be cleared for at least one wheel-track in each direction by the end of a snowfall. The remainder will be cleared as soon as possible after the snowfall, but scheduled so crews don't work overtime.

US-2 and I-75 (excluding the business loop) will not be affected, and crews will work to clear the entire pavement of ice and snow both during and after a snow, using overtime if necessary. These routes are given high priority by the highway department, based on economic and travel trends.

The changes are made in response to rapidly rising costs and limited resources, MDOT announced, and are a reflection of Michigan's transportation funding crisis, which is the result of falling state fuel tax revenues and vehicle registration fees, reduced purchasing power owing to inflation, and rising costs for construction and materials, including salt.

The department considers normal winter conditions to be temperatures above 20 degrees, with light to moderate winds and snowfall amounts from one to five inches in a 24-hour period. During normal conditions, crews can generally keep roads free of ice and snow, however, the pavement still may be wet.

When temperatures fall to 10 to 20 degrees, the action of the salt, which lowers the freezing temperature of water, takes longer to work and refreezes at a much faster rate. When temperatures fall below zero to 10 degrees, the melting, dilution of the salt, and the refreezing process accelerates even more. This causes the potential for a more dangerous condition than what previously existed, the highway department reports. Continued application of salt at these low temperatures can cause more road problems than it solves. When wind speeds exceed 15 to 25 miles per hour, the snow that would normally blow across a dry road will adhere to the wet pavement. The snow speeds the dilution of the salt and creates a packed-ice type condition.

MDOT encourages drivers to adopt the following winter driving tips:

• Be cautious of bridges that can be icy when the approaching pavement is clear and dry.

• Always wear your safety belt and be sure children are buckled up.

• Slow down when visibility is low or when road conditions are snowy or icy.

• Accelerate and brake slowly and avoid abrupt steering maneuvers.

• Do not pump anti-lock brakes.

• Keep at least a car length of distance between your vehicle and others.

• Snowplow drivers need all the help they can get when it comes to maneuvering their large trucks through traffic and along the roadways, and MDOT asks drivers not to "crowd the plows."