PIKE COUNTY, Pa. — In Pike County, plow truck operators with PennDOT have 750 snow lane miles to cover. That's 750 miles of roadway to pre-treat ahead of the storm, to clear during the storm, and clear again when the wind picks up and blows the snow back onto the roads.
"We're fortunate because the temperatures are up. Right now, what we have going on, we have crews out right now, we are brining our interstates, trying to hold back on our solids. About midnight tonight is when it's supposed to pick up, so we do have everyone on board," said Jeff Luongo, the highway maintenance manager for PennDOT in Pike County.
Luongo says the timing of this storm could be ideal. If folks are off the roads overnight, PennDOT crews will have an easier time keeping the snow cleared. And while eastern Pennsylvania will likely get hit the hardest with this coastal storm, operators in Pike County say they can handle this forecast, even if we get the higher end of snow totals.
"A little bit more, 12 to 15 inches, I foresee no problem. But if the system ever does stall, if we ever do have any breakdowns or anything like that, we're just going to have a couple of extra trucks come up just to make sure we don't close this interstate down. We're going to keep it open as best as we can."
Luongo says that is the number one goal. On-call managers with PennDOT will also monitor the interstates and 511 cameras all night long and all day Tuesday for any crashes or disabled vehicles — anything that could impact keeping the roads clear and the interstates open.
After a relatively quiet winter season, PennDOT crews are not surprised to see this snowy March weather.
"This last couple of weeks have been trying. We did save some money; we're going to put it into the roads this summer, but as of right now, this is our main priority, and this is what we're doing."
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