CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Hundreds of PennDOT snowplows hit the road Saturday, as the commonwealth experienced its first significant snowstorm in almost a year.
Up to five inches of plowable snow blanketed the ground in Cumberland County, affecting roadways from residential to major highways in the area.
PennDOT officials say they were prepared to meet the weekend’s winter weather challenges.
“Here in Cumberland County, our crews were out by 10 a.m. this morning, other counties had people staggered from 8 to noon, depending on what was coming in,” said Fritzi Schreffler, spokesperson for PennDOT
Crews started pretreating roads on Friday, laying salt and brine, and continued the process into the next morning.
“We focused on the interstates, the interstate lookalikes, so heavily troubled roads, bridges, overpasses, and areas that don’t receive a lot of sunlight,” Schreffler said.
Speed restrictions were activated for Tier 1 vehicles on several routes and reduced the posted speed limit to 45 miles per hour.
PennDOT officials are concerned drivers may ignore those restrictions.
“People often forget how to drive in this, they think they should be able to drive like their regular driving behaviors,” Schreffler said.
The restrictions are expected to be lifted before the end of the weekend, but officials don’t know exactly when that will happen.
“As soon as the snow really stops and our crews have been able to clear more of the roads, we’ll be able to lift that restriction,” Schreffler said.
People who do get behind the wheel are encouraged to use caution and maintain a safe following distance from other vehicles.
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