Crews Gearing Up To Keep Roads Passable Through Tuesday's Storm
By Dan Wing and Pat Loeb
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Brace yourself. A winter storm warning is in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday until 6 a.m. on Wednesday. Five to nine inches of snow is currently forecast.
Getting around is sure to be treacherous, but PennDOT says it is already on the job, brining state roads in the region.
PennDOT spokesman Gene Blaum says crews will be ready to roll with a full compliment of trucks:
"We expect that all available equipment will be on the state highways tomorrow (Tuesday) initially treating the roadways. We'll be putting down the salt initially as the storm begins, and begin plowing operations as about an inch and a half of snow has fallen."
The brine goes down before the snow falls to keep it from sticking to the road. Assistant District Penndot Executive Nick Martino says that will be important in the early stages of the storm.
"The key thing in any storm is the first two hours. You want to make sure you get control of the storm. You don't want anything bonding on the roadway because what we're going to be fighting against over the next few days is extreme cold weather," says Martino.
Martino says phase two of the storm, expected to hit during the evening rush, could be more complicated.
"The amount of equipment we're going to be having out there and the volume of traffic that's going to start letting out on the arteries throughout our region, that can be difficult for us getting around," he says.
READ: Snow and Bitter Cold To Return Tuesday
Blaum says that they're not expecting much of an impact on Tuesday's morning rush, but says the evening commute could be tough, and is asking motorists to play it safe:
"Motorists are going to need to reduce their travel speed, and leave plenty of distance between them and the vehicle in front of them."
Blaum says rear-end collisions are the most common type of accident during a snow storm.
As always, motorists can do their part by driving carefully.