The City of McAlester is preparing for possible winter storms and urges residents and travelers to avoid unnecessary travel during icy conditions.
Weather forecasts predict severe winter weather in McAlester and Pittsburg County over the next 7-10 days. The City’s Streets Department is ready with salt, deicer, and plowing equipment to treat city streets, though officials stress the importance of staying off the roads unless absolutely necessary.
The City has three trucks with salt spreaders, a road grader, a loader with a plow, and a dump truck, along with up to 500 tons of salt. Streets will be treated according to priority, with key routes like Electric Avenue, Strong Boulevard, and U.S. Highway 69 receiving the most immediate attention.
Priority 1 streets include Electric Avenue, Strong Boulevard, A Street, Wyandotte/Wade Watts Avenue, South Street, V. Hubert Smith Drive, and Peaceable Road near U.S. Highway 69. Priority 2 streets include Ashland Avenue, D Street/Talawanda Road, Second Street, Sixth Street, Stonewall/Krebs Avenue, Monroe Avenue, Washington Avenue, Comanche Avenue, Kiowa Avenue, Seneca Avenue, Kiamichi Drive, Oklahoma Avenue, Hardy Springs Road/Ninth Street, Fourteenth Street, Seventeenth Street, Peaceable Road, Village Boulevard, Kinkead Road, and Douglas Avenue.
Priority 1 streets will be cleared first, followed by secondary routes. The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will handle major highways, including U.S. Highway 270 and State Highway 31. The City’s winter weather response map is available online.