MONROE - Due to budget constraints, the Green County Highway Department will start to plow roads an hour later.
The Green County Highway Committee decided Monday highway crews will start to plow county roads at 5 a.m.
Crews will begin to plow state highways at 4 a.m.
Green County Highway Commissioner Dallas Cecil said highway crews, by state law, can be out from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. or until the highway department thinks the roads are clear enough to pull crews off the roads.
Cecil said it's possible road crews might be off the roads earlier than 10 p.m. There may be some cases when plowing the roads until 10 p.m. won't make much of a difference, especially if the snow continues to fall.
"We will keep in mind this is Wisconsin," he said.
Crews will stay out on the roads past 10 p.m. if there is ice, he added.
The crews will go out if winds cause the snow to drift, however, Cecil added, crews will not go out when there only are isolated incidents of drifting.
The highway department will put a mixture of salt and chips on the road in most instances to help clear the road. Salt will be used when the temperatures rise enough to help the salt melt snow on the roads.
The change is due to higher winter maintenance costs, Green County Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Carter said.
In 2008, the board budgeted about $644,000 for winter maintenance. The severe storms last spring caused the budget to increase to about $863,000, Carter said.
The board made up the difference by canceling some highway projects, he said.
The City of Monroe also has made some changes due to higher winter maintenance costs, Street Department Supervisor Tom Boll said.
"We're cutting back on how much salt we use," Boll said. "We're using a sand-salt mixture."
City crews are out by 2 a.m. to clear the business district and primary roads and then work to clear other streets, Boll said.
The Green County Highway Committee decided Monday highway crews will start to plow county roads at 5 a.m.
Crews will begin to plow state highways at 4 a.m.
Green County Highway Commissioner Dallas Cecil said highway crews, by state law, can be out from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. or until the highway department thinks the roads are clear enough to pull crews off the roads.
Cecil said it's possible road crews might be off the roads earlier than 10 p.m. There may be some cases when plowing the roads until 10 p.m. won't make much of a difference, especially if the snow continues to fall.
"We will keep in mind this is Wisconsin," he said.
Crews will stay out on the roads past 10 p.m. if there is ice, he added.
The crews will go out if winds cause the snow to drift, however, Cecil added, crews will not go out when there only are isolated incidents of drifting.
The highway department will put a mixture of salt and chips on the road in most instances to help clear the road. Salt will be used when the temperatures rise enough to help the salt melt snow on the roads.
The change is due to higher winter maintenance costs, Green County Board of Supervisors Chairman Art Carter said.
In 2008, the board budgeted about $644,000 for winter maintenance. The severe storms last spring caused the budget to increase to about $863,000, Carter said.
The board made up the difference by canceling some highway projects, he said.
The City of Monroe also has made some changes due to higher winter maintenance costs, Street Department Supervisor Tom Boll said.
"We're cutting back on how much salt we use," Boll said. "We're using a sand-salt mixture."
City crews are out by 2 a.m. to clear the business district and primary roads and then work to clear other streets, Boll said.