mike honcho
Knuckleheads
DALLAS — The trouble started as the sun came up Monday in Dallas.
On Interstate 30, some drivers just stopped on the pavement, deciding it was too dangerous to cross icy bridges.
On I-45, there was a similar scene — cars stopped in their tracks because of accidents or other perceived danger.
Near downtown Dallas, the Woodall Rodgers Freeway turned into a parking lot as drivers waited for help. It was the worst problem spot we observed on Monday morning.
The Texas Department of Transportation is telling frustrated motorists that it did all that it could to manage road conditions in the aftermath of Sunday's winter storm.
TxDOT has been under fire repeatedly for the way it handles ice storms, but when Super Bowl XLV arrives next month, regional leaders aren't taking any chances.
Several groups have spent months working out a plan and are devoting considerable resources to make sure roads will be clear for the big game.
As drivers sat Monday morning stuck on icy highways, TxDOT spokeswoman Cynthia Northrup White insisted the agency did all it could to clear the roads.
"I don't know if anything different can be done," she said.
But when the Super Bowl comes to town, it appears that a lot more will be done just for that one game.
Tarrant County alone is nearly doubling its fleet of 37 sand trucks; Dallas is getting 53 more.
The vehicles will boost the number of sand trucks on North Texas highways by 50 percent.
Tons of sand will be piled around Cowboys Stadium in Arlington — three times as much as North Texas typically uses for the entire year.
"Trucks will be able to load up quickly; they won't have to go back to their home base," said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck.
The region expects to welcome 250,000 people for the world-wide event, and the NFL doesn't want foul weather messing with its big show.
North Texas leaders are concerned that weather-related gridlock could make the region appear less desirable as the home of future Super Bowls.
"In Miami last year, we didn't have to worry about the possibility of snow or ice; here, we are concerned about that," said NFL executive Frank Supovitz. "We really need to make sure that we have all of the major routes cleared, that they're ready to go. Game day can't be delayed for even 30 seconds."
But making a sure a football game starts on time is hard to understand for many who were running hours late Monday morning.
"We live here every day, and the weather conditions get bad on a normal day such as today — why not twice as many out there to help us get to work?" asked commuter James Whitfield. "Keep the city going!"
The State of Texas is picking up the tab for all the extra machinery.
Regional leaders say the money the Super Bowl brings in will cover the extra expense of having all those sand trucks ready for the game.
Meanwhile, TxDOT defends its job in trying to keep North Texas highways clear Monday morning. The agency said it was still working Monday night, and that road crews remain on 12-hour rotations in case of another overnight freeze
On Interstate 30, some drivers just stopped on the pavement, deciding it was too dangerous to cross icy bridges.
On I-45, there was a similar scene — cars stopped in their tracks because of accidents or other perceived danger.
Near downtown Dallas, the Woodall Rodgers Freeway turned into a parking lot as drivers waited for help. It was the worst problem spot we observed on Monday morning.
The Texas Department of Transportation is telling frustrated motorists that it did all that it could to manage road conditions in the aftermath of Sunday's winter storm.
TxDOT has been under fire repeatedly for the way it handles ice storms, but when Super Bowl XLV arrives next month, regional leaders aren't taking any chances.
Several groups have spent months working out a plan and are devoting considerable resources to make sure roads will be clear for the big game.
As drivers sat Monday morning stuck on icy highways, TxDOT spokeswoman Cynthia Northrup White insisted the agency did all it could to clear the roads.
"I don't know if anything different can be done," she said.
But when the Super Bowl comes to town, it appears that a lot more will be done just for that one game.
Tarrant County alone is nearly doubling its fleet of 37 sand trucks; Dallas is getting 53 more.
The vehicles will boost the number of sand trucks on North Texas highways by 50 percent.
Tons of sand will be piled around Cowboys Stadium in Arlington — three times as much as North Texas typically uses for the entire year.
"Trucks will be able to load up quickly; they won't have to go back to their home base," said Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck.
The region expects to welcome 250,000 people for the world-wide event, and the NFL doesn't want foul weather messing with its big show.
North Texas leaders are concerned that weather-related gridlock could make the region appear less desirable as the home of future Super Bowls.
"In Miami last year, we didn't have to worry about the possibility of snow or ice; here, we are concerned about that," said NFL executive Frank Supovitz. "We really need to make sure that we have all of the major routes cleared, that they're ready to go. Game day can't be delayed for even 30 seconds."
But making a sure a football game starts on time is hard to understand for many who were running hours late Monday morning.
"We live here every day, and the weather conditions get bad on a normal day such as today — why not twice as many out there to help us get to work?" asked commuter James Whitfield. "Keep the city going!"
The State of Texas is picking up the tab for all the extra machinery.
Regional leaders say the money the Super Bowl brings in will cover the extra expense of having all those sand trucks ready for the game.
Meanwhile, TxDOT defends its job in trying to keep North Texas highways clear Monday morning. The agency said it was still working Monday night, and that road crews remain on 12-hour rotations in case of another overnight freeze