PennDOT, Local Officials Tackling Snow Preparations In Delaware Valley
By Dan Wing
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- With the Delaware Valley in a winter storm advisory until 4pm Tuesday, local officials and PennDOT are gearing up for what could be a messy morning commute.
PennDOT and City officials started treating roads late Sunday night, and at midnight PennDOT began rolling out the road crews, meaning a full fleet of salt and brine trucks and plows are ready to go.
Salt supplies are well stocked, with only 8,250-tons used so far this winter compared to the 40,000-tons used by this date last year. The situation seems to be well under control, but PennDOT spokesman Lester Toaso says drivers still need to do their part as well.
"We urge motorists to be very careful, to drive at a reduced speed, to also allow additional time to get to their destinations, and to leave at least twice the normal following distance between themself and the vehicle in front of them," Toaso says.
Here in Philadelphia, the city has 70 trucks that are ready to salt and clear streets. Officials also say this storm will not effect trash collections today, however pick up may be a little later than usual.
As for mass transit, Philadelphia International Airport is warning travelers to keep an eye on their flight status as delays are possible for both arrivals and departures today. You can find that information online, or by calling 1-800-PHL-GATE. The airport put a ground stop in effect until 9am.
SEPTA had crews out treating subway and bus stops early this morning. On the Market/Frankford Line: There will be no A or B service due to the cold weather. Several trains are operating on late schedules. For complete SEPTA travel information, head to the system status page at SEPTA.org.
Stay up to date on traffic information with CBSPhilly's traffic page, or by listening to Traffic and Transit on the 2's on KYW Newsradio.
In addition to a winter storm warning, most of the area is in a code blue for at least today. Camden County is one of them, and county Freeholder Carmen Rodriguez says they need residents to take care of elderly family members and friends.
"All the shelters are open all night long, but they keep an eye out and make sure that if somebody is in need they take them to the designated sites," Rodriguez says.
Other counties in a code blue through the rest of the day include, Philadelphia, Bucks and Montgomery Counties in PA. Burlington County, NJ is also in a Code Blue.
Whenever there is a code blue in effect, residents are urged to check on elderly or handicapped relatives and neighbors who live alone and to limit their time outdoors.
For continuous weather coverage around the clock, listen to KYW Newsradio 1060 or head to CBSPhilly.com/weather.
