MORGANTOWN – With more winter weather on the way, the West Virginia Department of Transportation said Monday that it encourages all motorists to use extreme caution on the roads as West Virginia Division of Highways crews work to keep them clear.
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for much of the Mountain State, which will be in effect from until Wednesday. A wintry mix can be expected with projected snow accumulations ranging from 1-2 inches at lower elevations to 5-8 inches at higher elevations.
“We’ll be out doing some pre-treating with brine around the state tonight and are prepared to work around the clock even before the snow starts to fall,” said Jacob Bumgarner, chief engineer of Special Programs and Acting Chief Engineer of District Operations. “The effectiveness of what we do will hopefully be seen because of the temperature staying right around freezing or a little above it, which is not what we saw with the last winter storm.”
In WVDOT District 4, which includes includes Monongalia and Preston counties and some of the most mountainous terrain in the state, road crews are well-practiced in controlling ice and snow, DOT said.
“Workers will work around the clock for 24-hour coverage,” District 4 Engineer Earl Gaskins said. “First shift will cover prep, getting snowplows equipped and ready to go out; and second shift will cover 12 hours of snow removal from roadways as soon as the first snow starts to fall.”
After starting the winter with 231,000 tons of salt, Bumgarner said the WVDOH still has plenty on hand as they prepare for another round of winter weather.
“There have been some situations where we’ve moved salt to some of our smaller sheds from the larger one,” Bumgarner said. “But there is plenty of salt to respond adequately to this storm.”
