MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The snow may be gone, but the ice remains and it’s literally stopping a lot of Memphis drivers in their tracks.
Around 5 p.m. Friday, the Kroger parking lot off Frayser Boulevard had been transformed into a virtual ice rink.
“They looking terrible. The roads looking terrible,” said driver William Davis.
Engines revved and tires spun while smoke and burning rubber filled the night air for hours as drivers struggled to exit the Kroger parking lot.
“It been cool, real cool,” said driver Clarence Dickerson of the icy driving conditions. “I like it.”
Not all drivers felt the same.
Leon Ware drove all day and saw accident after accident — some of the almost 200 Memphis police say they responded to Friday.
“I just seen somebody slide and turn they whole car around, did a whole 360. And they just stayed there and I came back, they still was there,” said Ware.
The city has vowed to keep its 14 salt and sands trucks moving continuously throughout the night until at least Saturday afternoon.
Their first priority will be major streets with inclines or declines, but that’s little help if your street is flat, but still glazed over.
“I got stuck a couple of times and people would help me and everything,” said Davis.
TDOT crews have taken a break from de-icing highways Friday night and plan to resume Saturday morning.
Should conditions prove necessary, they’re prepared to come in earlier.
“If they see any troubled spots that needs additional attention, they’ll call in our maintenance crews and they’ll go out and work that area,” said TDOT spokeswoman Nichole Lawrence.