Ice storm warning has public works and utility officials waiting to respond

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for Dickson and other counties west of Nashville. The service warns that a quarter inch to half an inch of ice accumulation is possible Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning. Area utility and public works crews are preparing for the possibility of dangerous conditions. Dickson County Highway Department Superintendent Jerry Burgess said his crews are just waiting to see what the weather brings. The department has two pickup trucks equipped with salt spreaders and concentrate mainly on hills and other dangerous locations. Dickson Public Works Director Jeff Lewis said the department has implemented its emergency standby procedures in which crews are ready to respond to reports of downed limbs or trees and its two salt trucks are ready to go. TDOT crews began applying brine Monday and have salt ready if roads begin to ice. Dickson Electric Service General Manager Darrell Gillespie said the utility is prepared to respond to reports of problems, with supplies on hand and crews on standby. “We expect the possibility of a quarter inch of ice depending on the temperatures,” Gillespie said. That amount should not pose any issues for the power system but if there is strong wind then some dead trees could fall into power lines causing localized outages. But Gillespie said he is looking down the road as forecasters are predicting next week could bring the coldest temperatures of the winter season. “I’ll feel a lot better in March,” Gillespie said.