PennDOT and Pennsylvania Turnpike crews are heading to Massachusetts to help clear out the record amount of snow that has fallen up north. Some areas have received more than six feet of snow and more may be on the way, as blizzard watches have been issued.
It seems like Massachusetts can't catch a break. Some towns are buried in snow and Mother Nature may unload another foot this weekend. "Some of these areas have been hammered with snowfall amounts of five or six feet and it's critical that we lend a hand," said Carl DeFebo, Pennsylvania Turnpike spokesperson.
Between the turnpike and PennDOT, 41 workers and 34 pieces of equipment are heading north to help. Massachusetts officials requested the aid through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA). "They put out a general call to all neighboring states and pretty much every state within the northeast. I mean it was very clear that this request was urgent," said DeFebo.
Crews will spend five days in Bedford, Massachusetts and stay as long as needed. The plan is to help remove all of the snow.
"It's not treating roadways, it's not plowing snow. They are using these loaders physically to actually load up and remove the snow from towns and cities," said DeFebo.
"The roads are narrow, there's a lot of traffic and parked cars which are snowed in and aren't dug out, so we got to be very careful about that," said Ken Hoover, who went up from the Mt. Gretna Maintenance Facility.
"I feel good going up there. It will be a lot of fun I think. It will be long hours which is no big deal, we are used to that when we have a big storm," said Hoover.