Road crews prepare for another round of winter weather in Maryland

BALTIMORE - Road crews across our region are preparing for another round of snow which is expected to impact the area Friday night and early Saturday morning.  

Experts say the snowstorm is not expected to be as intense as last week, and the good thing is the roads are already primed with salt. 

However, snow and ice are still piled up on the curbs from Monday's snowstorm which dropped up to 12 inches on some of Maryland's hardest-hit areas. 

"It iced up really really quick," said Jessica, a Baltimore resident, when asked about Monday's storms. 

This made for dangerous conditions on the road. 

"The roads were horrible," said Rodney Davis, another Maryland resident. "I drive a Honda Civic so I would probably tokyo drift all the way down 95 and back."  

While our region is still dealing with the icy aftermath, WJZ's First Alert Weather Team says another 1-2 inches are on the way as another system rolls in Friday night. 

"Hopefully, it won't be as bad as the first one," said Jessica.  

"If we survived Monday, we most definitely can survive this," Davis said. 

Road treatment

Crews have been working round-the-clock since before Monday's storm to treat and clear the roads. 

In Annapolis, the Department of Public Works says crews deployed 300 tons of salt throughout the week. But city leaders said frigid temperatures have complicated cleanup efforts due to melting snowpack during the day and icy conditions overnight. 

In Baltimore County, spokesman for MDOT SHA, Charlie Gischler, says the residual salt that's already on the roadways should help prevent the incoming snow and ice from sticking to the pavement, and turn it into slush, making it easier to plow out of the way. 

"We'll be working our shifts all throughout the evening and into tomorrow morning. And then we'll be scouting for any icy patches and pushing back shoulders and that type of thing," Gishler explained. 

"They do a pretty decent job, but people need to stay off the road so they can do their job. That's a challenge, I'm sure," said Allen Russel, another Baltimorean.  

"I'm not going anywhere unless it's an emergency..."  

Neighbors that WJZ's Caroline Foreback spoke with say they're planning to ride out the storm from home. 

"I really don't want to be driving out in that mess," Davis said. 

"I like to hibernate…i'm not going anywhere unless it's an emergency and I have to go," Jessica said. 

Gischler with the State Highway Administration says if you do have to go out, it's important to take it slow and stay a safe distance behind the snowplows and salt trucks.