PennDOT crews prepare for predicted storm

Under sunny skies in Norristown on Monday afternoon, PennDOT truck drivers and plow truck operators prepared for the massive snowstorm scheduled to arrive less than twelve hours later.

“It’s safe to say now that ‘March madness’ has taken on a unique spin to the Philadelphia region. That being said, we’re here to reassure the region that PennDOT is fully prepared and ready for this major winter event,” said Tony Goreski, PennDOT Maintenance Manager for Montgomery County.

Over 400 PennDOT trucks and contractors were preparing to work 12-hour shifts starting at midnight Monday into Tuesday as the storm moved into PennDOT’s fivecounty greater Philadelphia area. At PennDOT’s Norristown maintenance center, plow trucks loaded up with salt Monday afternoon as drivers returned from runs and prepared to spend the night on roads.

“We have over 100,000 tons of salt fully ready, in addition to tens of thousands of tons of brine in our arsenal to combat this storm,” Goreski said.

Crews started pouring brine on major highways, limited access highways, all primary roads and most secondary roads starting Sunday evening and throughout Monday. The brine is meant to help prevent snow from binding or packing on local roads, and once the snow starts to fall, salt will be applied and plows will be deployed.

“Due to the intensity of this storm, we’re talking anywhere from 2 to 3 inches of snowfall per hour,” Goreski said, particularly from 2 to 4 a.m. Each plow truck runs a cycle of roughly 35 to 40 miles, and depending on the roads each can take two to four hours to complete one cycle. Over 11,100 miles of state highways in the greater Philadelphia region will be covered, and PennDOT also has agreements with 95 local municipalities to cover just shy of 3,000 miles of local roads. PennDOT has canceled all heavy load permits for travel during the snowstorm, and Goreski said drivers are asked to stay off the roads if possible, and wear seat belts, turn on their headlights and windshield wipers, allow extra time to get anywhere, and leave plenty of distance between other vehicles if they do drive.

“Drivers must be prepared to face poor visibility, slick roads, and extremely — effectively, crazy — changing weather conditions,” Goreski said.

PennDOT asks drivers to stay at least six car lengths behind any plow trucks or squads of plow trucks, because salt or brine can be kicked up as it is applied, and that could cause visibility problems for drivers.