Construction season is stretching out. Numerous projects are currently underway in the Quad Cities. And emergency vehicles are also dealing with the traffic and backups.
All the Davenport City departments e-mail each other so they know what's going on across the city. That's especially important when you've got major roads like River Drive congested with traffic. And it's connecting side streets blocked off. The heads up gives first responders a chance to figure out back up plans.
Davenport Fire District Chief Michael Ryan says,"It seems like every construction year is worse than the last year, and how could it get any worse but no, this construction season is pretty typical. But Ryan says it's the fire department's job to keep its response times typical. Wether a street's open or closed. "Our drivers are professional, they know their job, and they certainly know the alternate routes, and if they're in doubt, they will drive in that territory that they're going to respond to that day, and scout out any road construction or any issues that may be out there," says Ryan. The drivers will take back roads to stay out of these slow spots. But if the other routes fail, they can do legally what other driver's can't.
Davenport Public Works Director Michael Clarke says, "The police and fire departments will get where they need to go, a sign is not a deterrent, for those operations." His staff works to provide the emergency crews the access they need. "We go over the detours, we go over the routes with the fire and the police, and we stay in contact with the medic systems, " says Clarke. Sending multiple notices a day about any street closures. To everyone that needs to know. "The entire organization in the city structure is notified on pretty much everything we do, it's a very rare occasion we catch anybody by surprise," says Clarke.
Ryan says the planning system works. Even when the road closures have been combined with Presidential campaign stops and big races. The department adjusts, to prevent any part of the city from getting cut off. "We'll make adjustments with our fire trucks, and maybe have somebody move to a different location for a period of time, to cover certain areas of town," says Ryan.
