Motorists Urged to Remain Alert for ‘Black Ice’ and Hard-Packed Snow
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is offering tips regarding removing snow from driveways and driving in excessively cold winter weather.
PennDOT crews are continuing to clear roadways from the weekend snowstorm. To assist in these efforts, PennDOT urges residents to not shovel or plow snow from sidewalks and driveways onto state roads.
“Just as motorists partnered with us to stay off the roadways during the storm, we are asking property owners to partner with us by following safe practices when clearing snow from driveways, parking lots, and sidewalks,” said Aaron Fox, Assistant District 1 Executive – Maintenance.
PennDOT offers the following guidelines for shoveling or plowing snow on property adjacent to state-owned roadways:
- Snow should be shoveled or plowed to the right side of the driveway as you are facing the intersecting roadway. By piling the snow away from the oncoming direction of the snowplows, the snow will not be pushed back onto the driveway.
- Eliminate snow piles at the property entrance whenever possible. High accumulations of snow can obstruct the vision of motorists, posing a safety hazard.
- Do not push snow onto roadways at any time. This creates a hazardous condition for all vehicles.
- When plowing or shoveling near the roadways, make sure you can be seen by passing traffic by using headlights and wearing high-visibility gear, such as reflective vests and headlamps.
Motorists are also reminded that lower temperatures impact the effectiveness of the winter roadway maintenance materials.
Salt, for example, is a great material to mitigate winter weather, but it is not a silver bullet. The material is less effective below 25 degrees, so motorists may encounter slick spots on the roadway, especially in areas of shade or snow drifts. PennDOT also uses anti-skid and other materials during extreme cold temperatures.
Motorists are cautioned to watch for “black ice”, a condition occurring on clear roadways when a thin layer of ice forms. When the road looks wet, but no spray is coming from the tires of other vehicles, black ice may be present and extra caution is needed when approaching bridges and highway ramps where ice can form without warning.
“Our crews have been working around the clock since the storm started and are continuing with post-storm cleaning up. These frigid temperatures make it more difficult to address hard-packed snow and ice,” Fox said. “If you encounter one of our crews working on a more problematic area, please be patient and give them space to do their work.”
Drivers 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.
Lastly, PennDOT reminds motorists to clear vehicle of snow and ice before starting to drive including the windows, hood, trunk, roof, headlights, taillights, and signals.
For more winter driving tips and information on how PennDOT treats winter storms, visit www.PennDOT.pa.gov/winter.
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.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Crawford, Erie, Forest, Mercer, Venango, and Warren counties at www.pa.gov/DOTDistrict1.
Find PennDOT news for the northwest region on X or Facebook.
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MEDIA CONTACT: Jill Harry, 814-678-5035 or jharry@pa.gov