HARRISBURG, Pa. — PennDOT had about 500 trucks active on roads or on standby as snow began to hit Central Pennsylvania on Sunday afternoon.
The agency also brought in mobile emergency teams from Erie County.
“What that means is a MET team brings in extra equipment, extra operators to be able to supplement our efforts on the interstates, so 81 and 83 will get those teams in Cumberland, Dauphin and York Counties,” said PennDOT spokesperson Fritzi Schreffler.
Crews were working in 12 hour shifts; the first began at 6 a.m. to salt the roads, while the following shift spent most of its time plowing snow off the roads.
Tier 1 winter weather restrictions were in place, meaning on some highways certain vehicles weren’t allowed, including motorcycles, school buses without chains and empty tractor trailers.
A 45 mile-per-hour speed limit was in place, even if the posted speed limit sign had a higher limit.
“You shouldn’t have to see a sign to know that you should slow down,” Schreffler said. “The speed limit is 65, you should know that during these kinds of conditions you should not have to be driving the speed limit.”
To avoid potential accidents, PennDOT officials recommended staying home Monday if possible.
“If there’s anything good about COVID it’s that a lot of people are working from home right now so that definitely helps our efforts,” Schreffler said.
PennDOT officials also reminded drivers to stay at least six car lengths behind plow trucks.
Snow plow efforts targeted highways and large roadways first, followed by smaller streets.
Officials encourage people to visit 511PA.com to check weather conditions and the location of plow trucks.