CLEARFIELD — With the first day of winter this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) reminds motorists about its winter services.
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility,” said PennDOT District 2 Assistant District Executive for Maintenance Damon Wagner. “If you can postpone travel during a storm, please do so. If you must travel, allow additional time to get to your destination, slow down, increase your following distance and familiarize yourself with what to expect from PennDOT before leaving home.”
Motorists can visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/winter to research winter operations, winter facts, winter storm tactics and more. Road treatment applications are explained in detail to help motorists understand what materials work best under various roadway conditions and temperatures.
Major factors that determine what material PennDOT uses on a roadway are temperature and the amount of traffic. For example, because salt is most effective when traffic is crushing and spreading it on the road, PennDOT will mix anti-skid with salt or other materials on roads with lower traffic volumes. Salt isn’t a silver bullet and becomes less effective once temperatures dip below 25 degrees. The lower the temperature (below 15 degrees), the less salt used, which may result in a road being snow-covered for longer than usual.
Preparation is one key to successfully navigating winter roads, and motorists can learn about getting their vehicle ready, winter emergency kits, preparing their mailbox and driveway tips on the department’s winter preparation page.
While PennDOT recommends not traveling during winter storms, motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles, by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 1,000 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 511, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website.
Throughout winter, PennDOT actively monitors conditions and forecasts and ensures that material is in good supply. PennDOT also works with Accuweather, the National Weather Service, and other agencies to prepare for winter storms and provide timely service.
Other tools PennDOT uses to enhance winter driving safety include a speed/vehicle restriction plan implemented as needed, permanent message boards along major highways, and variable speed limit signs (VSL) at 63 locations across the commonwealth. VSL signs help PennDOT quickly reduce speed limits when visibility or roadway conditions call for lower speeds. PennDOT chose these VSL locations based on crash and weather data, such as frequent wintry conditions and where crashes caused by whiteout conditions led to roadway closures.
