Winter thaw allows DPW crews to clean up snowbanks, unclog storm drains



MILWAUKEE -- We are all looking forward to warmer weather, but the thaw we are expecting could cause problems for your home and the roads. The biggest concern is the thaw and the re-freeze.

Out across Milwaukee, crews are working hard to make way for warmer weather.

"We're ready, absolutely," said Robert Brooks, Milwaukee Department of Public Works.

Seventeen crews daily are clearing the remnants of winter from more than 77,000 catch basins throughout the city. They're trying to prevent ponding.



"It can cause a major accident, you can slip and have injuries. You have to have somewhere the water can go so it won't freeze on the roadways," said Brooks.

It's not just the ground that can have issues with the thaw.

"This soffit is an aluminum soffit," said Dan Bast, Callen Construction.



The roofs on top of homes could see ice damming as well.



"That keeps your attic space cold in the winter and that's what we're trying to accomplish," said Bast.

Dan Bast works for Callen Construction.

"As this water comes out, it melts on the roof and comes down and as it drips off of there, it freezes," Bast said.

Dan Bast



Bast advises people to keep an eye on their home as winter turns into spring.

"That could clog up and back up into your gutters and cause damage," said Bast.

With warmer days ahead, it's a reminder we are still not in the clear.

Callen Construction also warns homeowners to make sure the grating around your house is pitched away from your home, so when snow and ice melt it doesn't puddle around the house and cause damage.