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As Snow Moves In, Crews Prepare For Messy Morning Commute

By Matt Rivers

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Even though this isn't a major storm, the winter weather is sure to make for a messy morning commute.

The big thing here is not necessarily the amount of snow, but the timing of it.  So you might be able to leave the shovel inside the garage, but you should probably start that commute a bit earlier.

No rest for the weary as PennDot operators gear up for another blast of winter.

"Hopefully the guys and girls are getting some rest because we've been running pretty good over the last two weeks," Nick Martino of PennDOT said.

And hopefully they can take some solace in the forecast, just a coating expected in greater Philadelphia, a few inches in points north.  Still though, the mantra here is to be ready.

"Our equipment will start coming in around the midnight hour, 1 a.m. hour, start getting loaded up, start getting dispatched to their areas," Martino said.

They're not expecting a lot of snow, but what does fall will likely stick, given temperatures in the twenties..

"So that's why you really got to get on top of this, make sure you get a lot of salt down because the traffic is really going to pick up once you get into that early am rush hour," Martino said.

A silver lining though if they get the salt down early and often, commuters themselves actually help keep the roads clear.

"The traffic is going to work the salt into the roadway, mixed in with the brine, it activates quickly so nothing can bond to the roadway," Martino said.

Given the week we've had though, you'll be hard pressed to find a Philadelphian too worried about this storm.

"I figure it'll be fine, they say it's going to be like an inch or something, so hopefully it'll melt by the time I get in," commuter Carole Showell said.

"We're going to leave regular time and just dress them very warm," commuter Tiara Diggs said.

"As long as the trains are running, it won't be a problem for me at all," commuter Angela Cimino said.

And as to those trains CBS 3 checked with SEPTA earlier tonight, no anticipated schedule changes tomorrow due to the snow, but officials say they'll of course be monitoring the situation as it develops.

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