PITTSBURGH — Because of all the rain on Thursday, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation says it’s not going to be able to do much in terms of pretreating the roads ahead of the extreme drop in temperatures.
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PennDOT is urging everyone to consider staying off the roads Friday morning unless it’s absolutely necessary.
“We wanted to get ahead of the storm,” said Clare Blashford.
Clare Blashford and her family live in Ohio now, but they’re originally from Pittsburgh. They loaded up their car in Ohio and stopped at the Oakmont Plum Service Plaza along the Pennsylvania Turnpike on their way to Blashford’s sister’s house in Maryland.
“Just before we left, we got the oil changed,” said Blashford. “We got the air in the tires and filled up our gas tank. Then I bought emergency lighting in case our car breaks down.”
AAA is expecting nearly 113 million Americans to hit the roads between December 23 and January 2.
“We are expecting to see near pre-pandemic levels,” said AAA East Central Public and Community Relations Manager Tiffany Stanely. “Travel projections were made prior to knowing about this storm, and so we do suggest that you take advantage of keeping track of what the weather is doing. Please make sure you are keeping safety in mind as you decide to either go out or stay in this holiday season.”
PennDOT says its crews will be out in full force on the main roads starting at midnight.
“Those back roads that you may take that give you a short cut to get to your destination,” said PennDOT District 11 Safety Press Officer Yasmeen Manyisha. “You’re going to want to avoid those in weather times like this. Slow down. Make sure you’re really paying attention going around a curve. Especially if the wind is going to be a factor. Pay attention and check in with the weather forecast.”
PennDOT also has crews monitoring problem spots.
“Our crews are out there addressing the roads, but we also have someone driving the roads and letting us know where the problem areas are,” said Manyisha. “Make sure you slow down. You leave plenty of following distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Make sure you clear your car of ice and snow because you absolutely can be cited if snow or ice dislodges from your vehicle and strikes another vehicle and causes a crash. Also, please give the plows plenty of space. They need a lot of room. Their blind spots are really big, and you want to make sure that they can do their job safely so they can help others on the road.”
Just like PennDOT has to get its vehicles ready, AAA recommends you do the same Thursday night.
“Check your brakes,” said Stanley. “Your fuel system. And your tires. You also want to carry an emergency road service kit.”
Blashford says she completed this checklist. Now she’s just keeping her eyes on the road and on any changes.
“So far very busy and rainy,” said Blashford. “And I keep an eye on my temperature that says right now it’s 39 degrees outside so that’s why we left before it gets colder and icier.”
If you have a flight to catch out of Pittsburgh International Airport, AAA suggests constantly checking for changes or cancellations and giving yourself additional time to get to the airport.
“Give yourself an extra 30 minutes on top of the two hours to make sure your give yourself plenty of time especially in this winter weather,” said Stanley.
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