PennDOT Crews Prepare For Snow Storm During Evening Commute
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Pennsylvania Department of Transportation crews have been out since Thursday spraying salt solution on the roadways to help prevent any snow accumulation from bonding to the asphalt. PennDOT's Philadelphia maintenance yard was busy as preparations for operations were underway.
"They are going to check the whole truck," says PennDOT's Philadelphia County manager Steve Niknam. "They are going to check the spreaders, check the plows, make sure all the hoses are all right and everything is working on the whole truck."
Niknam says, "We have approximately 100,000 tons of salt on hand, over 400 trucks available throughout the region."
PennDOT's new 8,000 gallon brine tanker, which can cover three lanes at one shot, has been on the highway in Montgomery County.
And if a plowing is needed in the region, Niknam says two newer 'tow plows' can be put into play.
"We have a tow plow that if you need it when we do plowing it can plow two lanes at the same time."
It also has anti-icing agent in tanks to be used where necessary.
Niknam reminds motorists not to pass or tailgate trucks as crews do their work.
"We are trying to make the road safe for them. I would urge everyone to make sure they keep a good distance between our trucks and their vehicles. We are trying to make it safe, we are plowing it and putting salt down to make sure everyone is safe."
