(Beaver Dam) The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office is reminding folks to drive safely on the roads during this winter weather season. Sheriff Dale Schmidt notes that drivers may not know that not all highways are plowed the same. Schmidt says the highway department has what are called Class I Highways, Class II Highways, and everything else.
“The Class I roads are 24-hour plowing,” says Schmidt. “So, as you would expect Interstate 41, US 151, those are 24-hour plowing. If it’s snowing out, it’s slippery, we’re gonna have trucks out there.”
Other Class I highways include Highway 60 from 67 out to Hartford, Highway 33 from Beaver Dam to the eastern Dodge County Line to Washington County, and the Highway 26 bypass. Those are typically the four lane highways that are highly trafficked. Schmidt shares highways that are considered Class II.
“Highway 73 from 33 to Columbus, Highway 33 from Beaver Dam up to Highway 73, Highway 16 from Columbus to 26, Highway 60 to State Highway 67, Highway 19.”
The sheriff says that those highways get plowed from 3am and 10pm. He adds that when driving on these roads and highways, people need to slow down.
“You can’t be driving a hundred miles an hour,” Schmidt says. “I see so many people flying by me in a marked squad, unmarked squad, people flying by me and [thinking] they’re gonna be invincible on the highways and they gotta slow down to stay out of those ditches.”
Schmidt says that if someone does go into a ditch, there is a very high chance that person will receive a citation.
