A massive winter storm is on its way to the U.S., and Delaware will start to feel its effects Saturday night.
DelDOT Community Relations Director C.R. McLeod said staff brined roads statewide Friday to get ahead of freezing conditions before precipitation begins.
“And then on Saturday, we'll really kick into snow prep with the filling of our plow trucks with salt, bringing our staff in to be ready to roll as soon as the snow begins to fall overnight on Saturday,” McLeod said.
Once snow starts to accumulate, the operators plan to head out and actively start plowing. McLeod added this will be a difficult storm to stay ahead of, and DelDOT will do what it can to keep roads passable, not perfect.
DelDOT is prepared to have upwards of 500 employees working to push about 300 pieces of snow removal equipment out onto the roads throughout the weekend.
Staff are prioritizing I-95, Routes 1, 202 and 13 before moving on to local roads.
“A lot of local roads aren't going to be touched until after those roads have been plowed and are deemed to be in good condition,” McLeod said. “It's certainly something where we tell the public that they need to be patient. It's going to take us a little bit of time to get to all of the roads that we're responsible for.”
If there are any major concerns, McLeod says folks can reach out to the Transportation Management Center by dialing #77.
If there’s a medical emergency, McLeod said 911 remains the dedicated emergency line.
“We're planning for a foot of snow across the state,” McLeod said. “There could be some ice as well. And Sunday would be a great day, if you can stay home, to do just that. Make some chicken noodle soup or some chili and hopefully just enjoy a day at home. The less vehicles on our roads, the quicker we're going to be able to get things cleared up, and we'll get back to normal.”
McLeod said he expects staff to be working on the roads and on the clock through early next week.
