February 18, 2003 – Poor driving conditions caused by snowstorms accumulating 15 inches on Feb. 16 prompted Provost Ed Ray to cancel Feb. 17 classes at Ohio State.
Feb. 17 was the first time classes have been canceled for a full day at OSU because of severe weather since 1994.
Ray’s decision to cancel classes was based on the recommendation of several OSU vice presidents.
“We consider such things as what emergency level the conditions are outside and the university’s ability to clear the streets,” said Bill Hall, vice president of Student Affairs.
OSU President Karen A. Holbrook, who is usually responsible for the decision on class cancellations, was stranded in Washington, D.C., because of inclement weather on the East Coast, Hall said.
Elizabeth Conlisk, OSU spokeswoman, said university officials’ concerns for the safety of the large population of student commuters weighed heavily in Ray’s decision. She said many of the counties surrounding OSU were under a Level Two snow emergency.
According to Conlisk, OSU Department of Physical Facilities ran out of salt Feb. 17 because the university is “third priority” in its contract with Morton Salt.
“Clearing major highways and city streets comes first,” she said. “We only got one-third of the salt we were supposed to have delivered today.”
The possibility of class cancellations in the near future will depend on what the weather is in the vicinity of Columbus and around campus, she said.
City employees are working to make the city’s roads passable under the adverse conditions instigated by Feb. 16’s storm, said Mary Webster, assistant director of the Columbus Department of Public Service.
However, not all of the city’s thoroughfares can be plowed and salted at once. Consequently, only the most heavily traveled streets are cleared first.
“The priority for human safety and traffic flow come first,” Webster said. “The primary roadways are always those roads with the highest volume of traffic and the highest speed limits. Today we’re working on the freeways and arterioles.”
The city focuses on clearing streets with hills and bridges because they are more likely to freeze and cause accidents under icy conditions.
The city clears residential areas only after the main roads have been plowed, Webster said.
Webster said the city’s greatest challenge is clearing the streets downtown because there is no place to put the snow. City workers cannot transfer the snow from the street to the sidewalk. Therefore, dump trucks have to be gradually loaded with snow so it can be dumped in city parks.
It is inevitable the city will receive citizen complaints of snowplows blocking parked cars along streets and parking lots during the removal process, she said.
“It’s part of urban living,” she said. “It should be expected.
Feb. 17 edition of The Lantern was not available in print because the company that prints and distributes the paper, Add Inc., was closed Feb. 16 night. Add Inc. is located in Fairfield County, which was under a Level Three snow emergency.
