Due to the severity of the winter storm, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has temporarily reduced the speed limit on Interstate 79 and Interstate 90.
PennDOT is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel, but those who must head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph with commercial vehicles in the right lane only on the following roadways:
- Interstate 79 from Exit 141 (Route 285, Geneva/Cochranton) in Crawford County to the end point in Erie County.
- Interstate 90 from the Ohio state line to the Interstate 79 interchange in Erie County.
Although PennDOT crews have been treating roadways, the department’s primary goal is to keep roads passable, and they will not completely free of ice and snow. PennDOT will continue to treat roadways throughout the storm until precipitation stops and roads are clear.
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 1,200 traffic cameras.
511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional X alerts.
Motorists should always allow plenty of space when driving near plow trucks. Also, for their own safety and the safety of plow operators, motorists should never attempt to pass a truck while it is plowing or spreading winter materials.
For more winter driving tips and information on how PennDOT treats winter storms, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/winter.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at http://www.pa.gov/DOTDistrict1.
Find PennDOT news for the northwest region on X or Facebook.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Jill Harry, jharry@pa.gov or 814-678-5035