How PennDOT is preparing for winter in the Philadelphia region
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Winter is only weeks away. Before any snowfall, PennDOT shared its winter preparedness plans.
With the temperature dropping, Peter Cooper finds himself at a gas station air pump.
"The air just goes out in the winter," Cooper said.
Cooper is ready for the winter, but others? Not so much.
Jen Degroat is wishing for a short season to return, but until then, she has the ice scrapper already in the car, hoping the snow holds off this year.
"It makes it harder to drive and I drive a lot for work so that'll be a pain," Degroat said.
PennDOT is hoping to make that trek easier and safer. Last year's mild winter – the agency says -- doesn't change preparations for this year.
"We approach every winter the same. We want to be prepared so hopefully it's mild, it's better for everyone, but if it's not, we'll be ready," Din Abazi, the senior assistant district executive of maintenance at PennDOT, said.
PennDOT has 131,000 tons of salt on hand for the Philly region this winter, but to put it into perspective — the salt dome in Montgomery County holds just 5,000 tons of salt.
PennDOT's primary focus during storms is on interstates, expressways and higher traffic roadways.
When it comes to plows, the fleet of more than 180 state-owned plows for the Philadelphia region are gassed up now – waiting to hit the road whenever snow comes.
More than 200 private contractor trucks will also help when the time comes.
"To help in our region, we have winter municipal agreements with 92 municipalities covering over 3,000 snow lane miles of state highways," Abazi said.
Things may be mostly quiet at the Montgomery County maintenance headquarters Tuesday, but Mother Nature could soon change that all as the countdown to winter is on.
"Whatever the weather brings this season, PennDOT is ready," Abazi said.
