Winter Storm Update: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 4

Winter Storm Update w/ Chris Jessie of KY Transportation Cabinet District 4

[00:00] – Kevin Jaggers
Checking back in with a winter storm update. Kevin Jaggers here. Trisha Caudill is standing by with Chris Jesse from District Four of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet with an update on what state roads are looking like. Trisha?

[00:11] – Trisha Caudill
It’s Trisha on the phone with Chris Jesse from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Hi, Chris.

[00:17] – Chris Jesse
Hey—how are you?

[00:18] – Trisha Caudill
Doing well. I know the Transportation Cabinet has been extremely busy. What’s the latest?

[00:27] – Chris Jesse
First, hats off to our local government partners—counties and cities across the district. They’re working hard too. We just cover a wider area, but we’re all dealing with the same challenges.

This morning we hit routes early and aggressively—salting first, followed by plow passes. We were hoping for more sunshine today, because sun makes a huge difference. When temperatures rise into the mid-20s, it helps turn the surface into slush, and slush is something we can plow effectively.

There’s usually a small window during the day where we can get a strong plow pass and remove a lot of that slush. We won’t get everything, because there’s still compacted ice underneath, but it helps. After that, we add another treatment, then daylight fades, temperatures drop back into the single digits, and we’re right back at it again tomorrow. It’s a repeated process—plow, treat, and repeat—until routes are cleared.

[01:58] – Trisha Caudill
There’s only so much you can do, and I think people appreciate the work, but many don’t understand the full process behind it.

[02:13] – Chris Jesse
That’s true. People often think a plow passes once and the road is clean—but in this kind of cold, it takes multiple passes. And this isn’t normal snow. In many areas, it’s snow with ice on top, which makes everything harder.

We’re also getting feedback about driveway entrances and mailboxes. When plows go by, chunks of ice can get pushed into driveway openings, and that can make it harder for people to get in and out. We understand that’s frustrating.

If you have mailbox damage, you can contact our office at 270-766-5066.

As for driveway entrances, here’s the clarification: the area at the end of residential driveways is still within the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet right-of-way, but it remains the property owner’s responsibility to clear their driveway access. Our job is to keep the state highways as clear and safe as possible. If we had to maintain every driveway, we’d never be able to keep up with the roads.

We’re working hard, and we’ll get things improved as quickly as possible.

[03:40] – Trisha Caudill
I’m glad you brought up driveways—we’re seeing a lot of those questions. And you’re right: if the state had to clear every driveway, you’d never finish the roads.

[04:01] – Chris Jesse
Exactly. It’s not feasible in an event like this, and we don’t get storms of this magnitude often. People here aren’t equipped like they would be farther north—most folks don’t have snowblowers, because they don’t typically need them. That adds to the challenge. We just ask for patience. We’re doing the best we can, and we’ll keep working until it’s better.

[04:41] – Trisha Caudill
We appreciate you and your crews. We know sleep is limited and you’re working around the clock, and it doesn’t go unnoticed.

[04:53] – Chris Jesse
We appreciate that. This is a community effort. We all have families dealing with the same conditions, too. We’re right there with everyone—we just also have the task of clearing roads so we can all get back to normal.

[05:20] – Trisha Caudill
Chris Jesse with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, thanks for the update.

[05:24] – Chris Jesse
Thanks, Trisha.

Winter Storm Update