AMHERST, N.Y. (WIVB) — Road and utility crews across Western New York are gearing up to be busy over the next few days because of the freezing rain.

In the Town of Amherst, Highway Superintendent Patrick Lucey says it typically takes crews three to four hours to make at least one pass through all the roads in the town. He says as of right now, they expect to start salting and treating the roads tomorrow afternoon. He says that plan could always change depending on what happens with the weather.

“We’re going to keep a close eye on the weather, starting tomorrow afternoon, tomorrow evening, and we’ll have people on the road just to be available to go out and treat the roads as needed,” he said. “It could be for salting purposes, plowing, or both. We’re just going to do what we have to.”

Crews in Buffalo are also keeping an eye on the forecast and will be focusing on making the roads safe for drivers.

“Our crews are prepared to salt, pre-salt as needed,” Buffalo DPW Commissioner Nate Marton said. “We’re prepping our staff for tomorrow late in the afternoon, and then throughout the course of the evening.”

A spokesperson for National Grid says they are expecting to deal with power outages because of the ice and the extra weight they could add to trees and power lines.

“Anytime we get coatings of ice on our transmission and distribution lines or even trees combined with high winds, the extra weight on the tree limbs or wires can be brought down to the ground with the high winds,” spokesperson David Bertola said. “Only takes a little bit of ice, a quarter of an inch of ice to add a lot of weight to a line that extends a long way.”

National grid will be increasing their staff and extending hours for crews across WNY.