2/22-24 Winter Weather Thread

[Urbandale2013]

This is midway to Mason City. This looks perfectly drivable. What bugs me is they are letting the semis sit on the actual interstate. That absolutely isn’t safe. I’m not saying they are great roads but they are good enough to get some of these trucks somewhere else.

Yeah, it's not even close to safe yet. Look at some plow cams on the 511 website to get a better idea of how bad it is.

 

[Entropy]

Looks like the struggles are real up North.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

View attachment 62618 This is midway to Mason City. This looks perfectly drivable. What bugs me is they are letting the semis sit on the actual interstate. That absolutely isn’t safe. I’m not saying they are great roads but they are good enough to get some of these trucks somewhere else.

Also right by Mason City as of 15 mins ago. Not driveable for Interstate traffic.

 

[isufbcurt]

The best get there asses working people need to be able to get to Hilton tonight.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

@Urbandale2013 you're an idiot if you disagree with those pictures being unsafe for Interstate traffic.

 

[Urbandale2013]

Also right by Mason City as of 15 mins ago. Not driveable.

You guys are looking for nice winter driving conditions. If that’s what the DOT wants fine I disagree with that way of thinking at least when there are Semis dangerously parked ON the interstate. Personally I think they should slowly open stuff back up under travel not advised. Let those that want to brave it try and clear out some of the backup.

 

[cmjh10]

 

[Urbandale2013]

@Urbandale2013 you're an idiot if you disagree with those pictures being unsafe for Interstate traffic.

Dangerous and tough driving are different from impassable.

 

[ISUAgronomist]

You guys are looking for nice winter driving conditions. If that’s what the DOT wants fine I disagree with that way of thinking at least when there are Semis dangerously parked ON the interstate. Personally I think they should slowly open stuff back up under travel not advised. Let those that want to brave it try and clear out some of the backup.

Dude stick to your desk job and let the professionals that actually work outside in these conditions protect their safety and the safety of the general public.

 

[discydisc]

It was north of Ames that was closed. I suspect that they closed it at ames because of logistics. If you drove from Des Moines to ames, you did not drive north of ames.

Just looking at the cameras shows how bad it was and in some places still is.

Exactly, that's where the gates are, still plenty of ice on 35 south of Ames too, discouraging people from driving on it and reducing traffic is still a good idea until they can get the ice broken up. Hopefully there's a lot of sun today and a break from the winds.

 

[3TrueFans]

The idea that the DOT closes or keeps roads closed just because they want to and not because the conditions dictate it seems stupid. It's stupid, right?

 

[jsb]

View attachment 62618 This is midway to Mason City. This looks perfectly drivable. What bugs me is they are letting the semis sit on the actual interstate. That absolutely isn’t safe. I’m not saying they are great roads but they are good enough to get some of these trucks somewhere else.

It’s driveable but a bunch of people start flying down the roads then the plows can’t do their jobs.

And if the roads are so great why is it a problem if semis are on the side of the road?

 

[CycloneErik]

The idea that the DOT closes or keeps roads closed just because they want to and not because the conditions dictate it seems stupid. It's stupid, right?

Oh, it's stupid all right.
The DOT isn't dreaming of being out there or closing roads, but this one guy knows better.

 

[Trice]

Dangerous and tough driving are different from impassable.

This is a really weird hill to die on. Even if the roads were in good shape, which they obviously aren't, there are still god only knows how many stranded vehicles out there. Why would you want to unleash an unusually heavy stream of trucks back onto an interstate that is, as you said, dangerous and tough driving conditions with abandoned cars strewn all over the place? You'll create a pileup and...have to close it again.

 

[jsb]

You guys are looking for nice winter driving conditions. If that’s what the DOT wants fine I disagree with that way of thinking at least when there are Semis dangerously parked ON the interstate. Personally I think they should slowly open stuff back up under travel not advised. Let those that want to brave it try and clear out some of the backup.

I would assume there is plenty of traffic on the interstate. They can’t stop everyone from getting on there. This just ensures that some stay away.

 

[Gunnerclone]

The idea that the DOT closes or keeps roads closed just because they want to and not because the conditions dictate it seems stupid. It's stupid, right?

No it’s a liberal plot by the shadow Dems controlling the statehouse in DSM to empower minorities and keep their foot on the throats of old white people that need to drive 30 miles every morning to get to the town with the good Folgers coffee and the “homemade” pie from wal mart.

 

[Urbandale2013]

This is a really weird hill to die on. Even if the roads were in good shape, which they obviously aren't, there are still god only knows how many stranded vehicles out there. Why would you want to unleash an unusually heavy stream of trucks back onto an interstate that is, as you said, dangerous and tough driving conditions with abandoned cars strewn all over the place? You'll create a pileup and...have to close it again.

The weird hill to die on is those that think the DOT is above any criticism. I think there are valid points to keeping it closed and slowly opening it up.

Maybe I’m optimistic in that truck drivers would properly evaluate their load and driving ability. You would see a small trickle of them to start with. My understanding from the stuff posted yesterday is that the DOT proactively closed it before there were many accidents and therefore there aren’t a ton of cars in the ditch up there. Maybe that impression is wrong. If it is then that probably changes my evaluation. I think that the DOT needs to do something about the rest area between Ames and Des Moines. As it is it isn’t safe.

 

[jdcyclone19]

The weird hill to die on is those that think the DOT is above any criticism. I think there are valid points to keeping it closed and slowly opening it up.

Maybe I’m optimistic in that truck drivers would properly evaluate their load and driving ability. You would see a small trickle of them to start with. My understanding from the stuff posted yesterday is that the DOT proactively closed it before there were many accidents and therefore there aren’t a ton of cars in the ditch up there. Maybe that impression is wrong. If it is then that probably changes my evaluation. I think that the DOT needs to do something about the rest area between Ames and Des Moines. As it is it isn’t safe.

I don't think its the truckers that I'd be concerned with driving on the interstate. Its the dumb drivers that think because they have AWD or 4x4, that think they can still go 70-80mph on crappy road conditions.

 

[Urbandale2013]

I don't think its the truckers that I'd be concerned with driving on the interstate. Its the dumb drivers that think because they have AWD or 4x4, that think they can still go 70-80mph on crappy road conditions.

Yeah but people seemed to be doing a pretty good job of behaving themselves yesterday. The concern is the huge back up of trucks that are stuck south of Ames. There are just a ton of them there.

 

[Trice]

The weird hill to die on is those that think the DOT is above any criticism. I think there are valid points to keeping it closed and slowly opening it up.

Maybe I’m optimistic in that truck drivers would properly evaluate their load and driving ability. You would see a small trickle of them to start with. My understanding from the stuff posted yesterday is that the DOT proactively closed it before there were many accidents and therefore there aren’t a ton of cars in the ditch up there. Maybe that impression is wrong. If it is then that probably changes my evaluation. I think that the DOT needs to do something about the rest area between Ames and Des Moines. As it is it isn’t safe.

I didn't say they were above criticism, nor has anyone else. Maybe they mishandled the closing, maybe they should have been more proactive in directing people to Hilton, Prairie Meadows, etc. I don't know. I'm strictly defending the decision to keep the interstate closed until they feel it's ready. I would imagine they're under enormous pressure from numerous different directions to reopen it and if they haven't done so by now (and are signaling it could still be awhile) it must be bad.