Thousands of San Diegans will head to higher elevations to play in the snow this weekend. The trip up Sunrise Highway will be a lot safer thanks to a platoon of San Diego County snowplow drivers.
“Up here on this mountain right now, there’s probably going to be 20 guys up here,” said Scott Lewis.
Lewis is a road crew supervisor for the County of San Diego. He helps manage more than 50 drivers and more than 20 snowplows.
“I haven’t found anybody who doesn’t enjoy it,” Lewis said.
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He added the drivers work in 12-hour shifts and someone is always plowing county roads 24 hours a day during snow events.
“This is the best time of year as far as it just looks great out here,” smiled Lewis.
The rest of the year, he said the same drivers work throughout the county doing public works tasks like filling potholes and cutting back tree branches.
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As San Diegans head to the snow, Lewis asked drivers to follow the rules and park only where they’re allowed to park. Do not block the road.
“That’s the cardinal sin,” Lewis smiled again. “You’re blocking the snowplow. Don’t block the snowplows.”
Caltrans also operates dozens of snowplows on state highways and routes.