Ohio Department of Transportation snow plows continue working to clear major roadways. Spokesperson Steve Falkner talks about it with Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles.
Faulkner – We are looking at snow all over the state of Ohio right now. Pretty much any place in Ohio is getting snow by now. We have currently more than 1300 crews out on the roads that are doing a combination of plowing and laying down salt to get those roads passable for motorists.
Ingles – Are there some areas of the state that are worse off than others?
Faulkner – Well there are certainly some areas of the state that have been hit harder than others. We are looking at the Northeast part of Ohio dealing with some lake effect snow on top of the snow we are already getting. Places in Northwest Ohio that kind of had this bigger storm come in yesterday and into last night – they are dealing with more snow than other parts are but I can assure you in all places that are getting snow in Ohio right now, we have our crews out on the roads, they are working 12 hour shifts, rotating in and out. And they are trying to get those roads safe, clear and passable for the motoring public.
Ingles – The temperatures are cool right now, or downright cold we should say. Is that causing a problem when you are putting the salt on the roads?
Faulkner – Well we tackle snow and ice removal differently based upon different types of storms and different types of snow. You know if we are expecting ice versus heavy snowfall, we would approach things a little differently. In this case, we are able to plow a little bit of the snow and get some salt on the roadways too so that’s what we are doing now, especially in places where it is coming down a little heavier. The only time the effectiveness of salt becomes an issue is when you start to see some really frigid temperatures and I’m talking in the negatives and below zero and staying there for quite some time.
Faulkner says it’s important to remember to give snow plows plenty of room to do the job. He also says it’s very important that drivers put down electronic devices as the distractions are particularly dangerous when there might already be a lot of problems caused by weather.