The Indiana Department of Transportation is hitting the roads to try to stay ahead of the winter weather.
INDOT is deploying over 1,100 plow trucks over the next 24 hours to plow and treat interstates.
U.S. routes and state roads in most of the state are expected to receive significant snowfall.
Crews began patrolling Sunday night and will be active throughout the winter storm. Plow trucks generally travel about 20 to 30 miles per hour, and it takes two to three hours to complete a snow route.
INDOT is using the following resources to keep the roads clear:
-over 1,100 plow trucks
-200,000 tons of salt
-100,000 gallons of brine
-over 1,800 employees on call covering 28.000 lane miles
Motorists are urged to stay off the roads during the winter storm is possible, to give plow drivers plenty of room to safely clear snow and ice.
If you must travel:
- Slow down and stay behind the snowplows. The road behind the plow will be the safest place to drive. Allow at least ten car lengths between your vehicle and snowplows or hopper spreaders.
- Do not pass. The plows are wide, and sometimes a group of trucks will work in tandem to clear snow quickly, especially on major highways.
- Be particularly aware of black ice conditions on surfaces such as bridge decks and entrance and exit ramps.
- Due to extremely cold temperatures and sub-zero wind chills, the salt will take longer to melt snow and ice. Blowing and drifting may also push snow back on to recently plowed routes.
- Four-wheel drive, anti-lock brakes and traction control are beneficial in winter weather, BUT they cannot take the place of good driving habits and the need to reduce speed on snowy or icy roads.
- Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle in case you’re stranded and keep a cell phone charged in case you need to call for help.
Stay Informed:
- Travel advisories, watches, and warnings are issued by county emergency management agencies. To check the travel status in a given county, visit https://www.in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory/.
- The latest winter driving conditions, traffic cameras, travel speeds, and more are available at https://indot.carsprogram.org.
