LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — Plow drivers across the city are facing an uphill battle as thick ice makes their usual snow removal tactics nearly impossible.
"If you get caught in these grooves, it just moves your truck on the ice," said Sherry Gillum, allowing LEX 18 to tag along for the day. "If I'm going down a hill, it's scary."
Gillum has weathered five years of winter storms as a plow driver, but this storm presents unique challenges.
"We got a lot of ice and it's so thick, and we try to scrape it, but everybody gets out [and] starts driving on it and just packs it down," Gillum said.
Even with the blade down, Gillum's plow glides over the top of the ice, unable to cut through. The situation frustrates Gillum as much as the drivers who try to get her attention on the road.
"They'll drive by and be like, 'Put your plow down! Put your plow down!' But the ice isn't going to come up. And I'm just spraying, trying to loosen it up for the next driver that comes along," Gillum said.
Twice per shift, she refills her 2,500-gallon tank with salt brine. The mixture seeps into the ice, making it easier to scrape during subsequent passes while she dodges parked cars and maintains her composure.
Not all shifts look the same. Gillum doesn't just treat the roads – she treats drivers with kindness, often helping motorists stuck in the ice.
"Keep going!" she yelled as she pushed a driver's vehicle out of the ice in the middle of her shift.
From her vantage point, Gillum has gained perspective on the icy roads disrupting daily life. She predicts the ice will stick around for another week, and if the city wants to treat each and every road, she believes more resources would be needed.
"We would definitely need more trucks and more people to get every single road. I mean, we're working 12-hour shifts and it's still not enough," Gillum said.
Pressure and criticism come with the territory, but Gillum says despite it all, her team remains dedicated to getting Lexington's roads back to normal.
