A perfect storm of sorts struck the Lexington community Thursday afternoon. Accumulating snow along with early dismissal from work caused major traffic snarls all over town. Streets and Roads crews pre-treated roadways, in an effort to lessen the bonding of snow and ice to pavement. Environmental Quality and Public Works Commissioner Nancy Albright said COVID is impacting staffing to a degree. “We do have three or four drivers that are out with COVID. Luckily we can balance our shifts around a little bit and our routes to address that and mostly maintain a normal operation. So, we did have a small impact from COVID, but we are addressing it,” said Albright.
Albright said a number of workers from other government departments like water quality, parks and recreation, and code enforcement are providing help. Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton said police reported more than 70 collisions by midday Thursday. She urged everyone who can to stay home so crews can clear roads. Gorton added workers in the Office of Homelessness Prevention and Intervention use a network of agencies to help ensure homeless are sheltered during extreme conditions.
