Marquette crews cut down banks on 13 miles of road.
MARQUETTE -- They're a danger lurking at corners, intersections and driveways. Snow banks have been especially high this year with all of our snow. Drivers struggle to see oncoming cars over the banks.
"Snow banks can't cause accidents,” said Sgt. Mike Laurila with the Marquette City Police. “It's the drivers’ responsibility to make sure they can proceed safely through an intersection at any given time."
The Department of Public Works in Marquette is trying to make it safer for motorists and pedestrians. When crews aren't busy plowing, they’re cutting down the snow banks.
"We’ve been on full night shift since the second week of January now, and we've got a full crew out there,” said Public Works Superintendent Scott Cambensy. “It's the most efficient time to be out there, and it's also the safest time when you're not dealing with additional traffic."
In Marquette, it costs $1,100 an hour to cut the banks. That's up considerably because of the cost of fuel and maintenance on equipment. That means they can only cut banks on the major roads. Of the 90 miles in the city that are plowed, only 15 percent are cut.
So the best advice: slow down and take your time and a good, long look at intersections. It may just prevent you from being blindsided.
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