Letter: State should reevaluate handling of black ice It is now time that the Department of Transportation reevaluates its management of black ice. I am referring to the fatal accident on Dec. 9. The days prior to the accident were significantly well below freezing. At 11 p.m. Dec. 8 it was 23 degrees. That was the air temperature. I can only imagine what the roadway surface was. With experience, I know it was much lower. Given this, any moisture or mist will basically act as a Zamboni machine. Adding to this situation are the many downgrades and upgrades on Sullivan County Route 17. This coupled with challenging curves can bring more risks when roads have black ice. The state has many weather agencies to alert it when weather is becoming dangerous for vehicular traffic. I believe a comprehensive review of aggressively pre-treating Route 17 should be done. This along with better monitoring of the roadway surface temperature will go a long way. Added flashing signs warning motorists that conditions ahead are dangerous should be looked into. Bob Ciambra Rock Hill
Posted on: Sun, 21 Dec 2014 17:05:12 +0000