EL PASO COUNTY — The latest snowstorm that's hit Colorado has created a nightmare for commuters and those traveling for Thanksgiving.
On Tuesday night some roads were still pretty treacherous with snowpack still on the ground making for slick conditions.
The big question for a lot of people - what's been the strategy for plows in this latest storm? Some have asked where are the plows? Why aren't all the roads clear yet? News 5 spoke with CDOT and found out it's been a round-the-clock operation that's definitely created challenges. Perhaps the biggest one - keeping up with the huge amount of snow that just continued to accumulate.
Brad Bauer, highway maintenance supervisor with CDOT, said, "We got quite a bit of snow here late last night and into this morning...this one's a pretty decent storm."
It's kept him and others with CDOT on the go for hours and hours.
"My crews are out. Every road has a guy or two on it. The method is we just plow until it quits snowing."
A light snowfall was still coming down in some areas even on Tuesday night.
"My guys...we're scraping on it. We're treating it trying to get it to go away...all they do is just make rounds and put hundreds of miles on their trucks in a 12-hour shift."
While the snow has stopped for the most part their work isn't done.
"Right now we're just trying to make sure that traffic can still safely travel on the road. We're treating with a variety of products - Apex. We're putting down...some ice slicer to try and break up some of the pack."
Aaron Goodman of 4x4orce Response is another hero on the roads.
He's been assisting "a lot of people stuck in ditches...needing help, people's cars breaking down."
He and other volunteers are trying to lend a hand to drivers as Thanksgiving is just two days away.
"I just got a text message. Somebody needs their driveway plowed because they're trying to leave town tomorrow."
But it's a labor of love for him especially this time of the year.
"It's that gift of giving right there...it's the season for that so kind of makes you feel good inside knowing that you helped somebody get to their family."
With temperatures dropping into the single digits that leftover snowpack could very likely turn to some slick ice. Bauer's advice - stay home if you can and wait until Wednesday to travel when the sun is out to melt everything.
Another round of snow is expected to hit later this week. Bauer said crews will be working on their trucks on Wednesday so they're all ready to go for the next snowfall.
