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Water main break floods Sheboygan streets

Posted at 7:20 PM, Jan 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-15 23:30:56-05

Sheboygan had the most snow accumulation but it wasn't the only weather related issue. 

Around 6:00 p.m. Monday, a water main burst near 13th Street and Grand Avenue. Muddy water gushed out into the streets for more than 45 minutes as crews worked to contain the issue. Just before 10:00 p.m., crews packed it up for the night with the hole nearly filled and blocked off by road signs. 

Whether it was water or snow, crews had their hands full. 

"We started at 10:30 last night," Jason Blasiola, Superintendent of Streets & Sanitation for the City of Sheboygan said. "We've had trucks operating continuously from last night." 

The city has 12 trucks on the roads to clear 200 miles of road. To make the task easier so everyone's roads can be cleared, Blasiola asks everyone to take it a little slower.

"We advise people slow down during less than ideal conditions," Blasiola said. "Give our drivers 75 feet so they can maneuver. We had an individual slide into the back of our salt trucks. If you can't see our mirrors, we can't see you."

It's not always those driving that slow down the plow drivers. Blasiola says parked cars can slow them down even more.

"It slows us down quite a bit," Blasiola said. "Often times, the driver will have to slow down and make sure the wing is not coming in contact with the vehicle or, in some cases, they'll have to lift up the wing and go up and over the car so the wing goes over the car."

But thanks to pre-treating the streets with a salt brine solution, picking up the snow has been easy. Even though there were over eight inches of snow, it was light and fluffy making for easy cleanup for residents as well. 

"It's very powdery," Tom Contrestan of Sheboygan said. "I got a head start with the snow blower and cleaning it up with the shovel. I'm almost 70. It's not as easy as it was 20 years ago but I feel good."