Clearfield, PA – Due to the predicted severity of the winter storm forecast for Sunday, January 25, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) announced vehicle restrictions in North Central Pennsylvania in addition to those announced yesterday across the Commonwealth. The purpose of the restrictions is to help ensure roadways remain passable during the most challenging conditions of the winter storm, and PennDOT will remove them when conditions improve.
Starting at 1:00 AM on Sunday, January 25, the following restrictions will be implemented:
- Route 350 between Bald Eagle and Philipsburg in Centre County will be closed to commercial motor vehicle (CMV) traffic.
- The commercial vehicle chain-up site located along Route 153 northbound before Boone Mountain in Clearfield County will be activated.
- The CMV detour around Route 6 between Port Allegany and Smethport in McKean County will be implemented. The detour uses Route 155, Route 446, and Route 46 and adds approximately five minutes of travel time.
- The commercial vehicle chain-up site located along Route 322 westbound before the Milroy exit and Seven Mountains will be activated.
Signage is installed a mile ahead of each designated chain up area and will flash while activated. CMV drivers are required to pull off at these areas and equip their on-board chains to the tires on their drive axels before climbing Boone Mountain or Seven Mountains. Those without chains on board are required to choose an alternate route. A companion chain removal area is located at the summit of each mountain.
The Route 6 detour will be communicated via the variable message boards posted along the detour route and through the DriveWyze app, a mobile tool for professional drivers that offers free safety alerts.
The district’s regional traffic management center will communicate all these restrictions by activating changeable message signs along the impacted routes.
Although PennDOT crews will be treating roadways, the department’s primary goal is to keep roads passable, 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.
Drivers should prepare or restock their emergency kits with items such as non-perishable food, water, first-aid supplies, warm clothes, a blanket, cell phone charger and a small snow shovel. Motorists should tailor their kits to any specific needs that they or their families have such as baby supplies, extra medication, and pet supplies.
When winter weather occurs, drivers should exercise caution around operating snow-removal equipment. When encountering a plow truck, drivers should:
- Stay at least six car lengths behind an operating plow truck and remember that the main plow is wider than the truck.
- Be alert since plow trucks generally travel much more slowly than other traffic.
- When a plow truck is traveling toward you, move as far away from the center of the road as is safely possible, and remember that snow can obscure the actual snowplow width.
- Never try to pass or get between several trucks plowing side by side in a “plow train.” The weight of the snow thrown from the plow can quickly cause smaller vehicles to lose control, creating a hazard for nearby vehicles.
- Never travel next to a plow truck since there are blind spots where the operator can’t see, and they can occasionally be moved sideways when hitting drifts or heavy snowpack.
- Keep your lights on to help the operator better see your vehicle. Also remember that under Pennsylvania state law, vehicle lights must be on every time a vehicle's wipers are on due to inclement weather.
Last winter in Pennsylvania, preliminary data shows that there were 8,329 crashes, 29 fatalities, and 2,959 injuries on snowy, slushy, or ice-covered roadways. Eleven of the people who died weren’t wearing a seat belt, and 17 of the fatalities were in crashes where a driver was going too fast for conditions and drove out of their lane.
The Pennsylvania State Police offers this advice if you are involved in a crash:
- First and foremost, move your vehicle as far as possible from the travel lanes if it’s able to be driven. Remaining in the lanes of travel when your vehicle can be driven is extremely dangerous.
- If your vehicle or another involved vehicle is not able to be driven due to damage, or if one of the involved parties is injured, PA law requires the crash be reported to police. Do this by dialing 911 right away.
- If your vehicle is disabled in the lane of travel or stuck in the travel lanes due to snow or ice, remain inside the vehicle with your seatbelt on and hazard lights activated. If it’s not safe to remain inside your vehicle, assess the situation and get yourself and passengers to a place of safety such as behind a barrier or guardrail. When exiting your vehicle, move as quickly as possible and DO NOT remain in the travel lanes or near your vehicle.
- When encountering a crash scene, the law requires you to move over if possible and always slow down. First responders will be active at the scene and focused on helping those involved in the crash and getting the road back open.
The law requires drivers to remove accumulated ice or snow from their vehicle, including the hood, trunk, and roof within 24 hours after the storm has ended. This applies to all vehicles, including commercial vehicles. Drivers in violation of the law are subject to a fine of $50. Additionally, motorists can be cited up to $1,500 if snow or ice is dislodged and strikes another vehicle or pedestrian causing death or serious injury.
Subscribe to PennDOT news and traffic alerts in Cameron, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Juniata, McKean, Mifflin, and Potter counties at www.pa.gov/DOTdistrict2.
MEDIA CONTACT: Timothy Nebgen, tnebgen@pa.gov or 814-765-0598
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