Quad Cities International Airport and Moline Public Works prepare for snowstorm

As the second round of winter weather heads into the QCA, the Quad Cities International Airport and Moline Public Works are taking extra precautions to make travel as safe as possible.

“My personal favorite tool is the snow thrower, just because it throws snow 200 feet,” Joseph Goetz, Quad Cities International Airport Operations Manager, said. “We kind of joke around that if we were to drive it down your normal driveway, we’re not going to throw snow just into the grass next to your driveway. We’d throw it 6 driveways down.”

The Quad Cities International Airport is preparing for another round of winter storms, and with the machinery they use, they’re gearing up for another long night. “Our snow removal effort has been going nonstop since Monday,” Goetz said. “We can clear our runway in one hour from show that’s falling.”

The airport posted on social media what it looked like earlier in the week with trucks all over the runway, to make sure the airfield remained clear of snow. “So we’ll put the plows, the brooms, and blowers in the back of the line,” Goetz said. “We work all the snow from the center line or the edge of the runway, over to one side of the runway, and then the blower blows it out into the safety area.”

For new Moline Public Works Director Denver Schmitt, it’s been a first week he will never forget. “It’s a really good opportunity to see what our staff can do,” Schmitt said. “We can really come together as a team. Make sure the roads in Moline are clear for safe travel.”

Since he’s already experienced one winter storm already, Schmitt is ready for the next. “Crews will be going 24/7 once the event starts,” Schmitt said. “Making sure roads are cleared off and making sure the community is safe.”

Schmitt is looking forward to working long nights with his new colleagues in Moline Public Works. “The staff has been great to me,” Schmitt said. “I couldn’t have asked more from them. I look forward to working with them and getting to know their names even more, and really working with them in the future.”

As the snow continues this week, both the new Moline Public Works and the Quad Cities International Airport will make sure that the roads and airfield stay clear of the snow so people that are traveling can arrive at their destinations safely.

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