PennDOT actively monitors and is prepared to combat winter weather with its roughly 2,200 trucks, plows and salt spreaders operated by 4,800 department operators statewide. While the department has more than 733,000 tons of salt and over 570,000 tons of anti-skid on hand, motorists are urged to use common sense and caution in traveling in this and other winter storms.
“Whenever there’s any type of precipitation, drivers need to adjust their speeds and travel plans accordingly,” PennDOT Secretary Leslie S. Richards said. “Our crews are out around the clock during storms, but roads won’t be bare while it’s snowing. We ask the public to join us in making roads safer by postponing unnecessary travel and, if they must drive during storms, to plan for extra time and drive according to the conditions on the road.”
To help motorists make decisions about travel, Richards encouraged visiting www.511PA.com for travel information such as incidents, winter road conditions and to view traffic cameras. The public can also track more than 700 department and contracted trucks on interstates and expressways statewide with the site’s new “Plow Trucks” option.
Richards also noted that when traveling at any time during the winter, drivers should have their vehicle emergency kits packed or restocked. The kit should contain items such as non-perishable food, water, first-aid supplies, warm clothes, a blanket, cell phone charger and a small snow shovel. Motorists should tailor their kits to any specific needs that they or their families have such as baby supplies, extra medication and pet supplies.
The commonwealth’s ReadyPA campaign encourages citizens to take three basic steps before an emergency occurs: Be Informed, Be Prepared, Be Involved. More detailed information, including free downloadable emergency home and car kit checklists and emergency plan templates, is available online at www.ReadyPA.org. The free ReadyPA app is also available for both Apple and Android devices.
