Jackson mayor issues statement about Madison icy roads v. other counties

Sarah Best, Jackson Sun

Wed, January 28, 2026 at 10:27 PM UTC

2 min read

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A car approaches the intersection of Campbell St. and North Parkway as snowy weather hits Jackson, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.

City of Jackson Mayor Scott Conger issued a statement on social media addressing the state of Madison County roads compared to other counties during the winter storm.

Posts on social media comparing Madison County roads to those in Chester, Gibson, and McNairy Counties over the last several days have been plentiful, particularly as it pertains to the absence of snow on the roads in other counties.

Conger shared that Winter Storm Fern had two components, snow and ice, which make for very different road conditions.

More: What to know: Driving on black ice, dangers of frozen ponds, keeping a fire-safe home

More: Jackson Public Works Director: 'Weather conditions are now on our side'

"Madison County was in the ice band," Conger said. "We received snow and sleet, followed by ¼ to ½ inch of freezing rain, with some nearby areas approaching 1 inch of ice. That ice bonds directly to the pavement. It turns roads into sheets of glass. You cannot plow ice, and salt barely works when temperatures stay this cold and skies stay overcast."

He added that Chester, Gibson, and McNairy Counties received more snow and had less freezing rain, noting that ice cannot be pushed off the roads like snow.

He attributed the roads clearing faster in those counties because plows could move the snow, salt was able to penetrate through it, the pavement warmed sooner, and the sun assisted in the snow melting.

Cars make their way through the Campbell St. and North Parkway intersection as snowy weather hits Jackson, Tenn., on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.

Conversely, he says Jackson's conditions have not cleared the same way because of several variables as follows: the ice has sealed the pavement; the salt was unable to break through; the pavement never warmed; every new layer of ice refroze on top of the last; overcast skies inhibited its ability to melt; and hills, curves, and bridges have remained frozen.

"There is another difference people ignore: scale," he said. "The City of Jackson is responsible for roughly 1,300 lane miles of road. Surrounding counties have far fewer urban roads to treat and maintain."

Fewer urban roads in neighboring counties means fewer intersections, hills, bridges, problem spots, and less traffic grinding ice into pavement, allowing them to cover their systems faster, Conger says.

"They can cover their systems faster. Jackson cannot, even with full crews working around the clock," he said.

"It's not a performance issue. It is a physics and workload issue. Same crews. Same equipment. Different storm. Much larger road system. Comparing Jackson to counties that got mostly snow and have far fewer roads is not an apples-to-apples comparison. Bottom line: Counties that got snow cleared faster. Counties that got ice cleared slower. Jackson got the ice and has far more roads to treat. That is why our roads look different."

Sarah Best is a reporter for the Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing at jacksonsun.com.

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: Jackson mayor addresses misconceptions of clearing snow, ice, on roads

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