CLEVELAND — The Ohio Department of Transportation District 12, which covers routes across Cuyahoga, Lake and Geauga counties, has 80 snow plows ready to take on whatever amount of snow hits the area this weekend.
Crews will be working around the clock on 12-hour shifts until the event is over and all routes are clear, according to an ODOT news release.
“We’re not really exactly sure exactly how much snow we’re going to get, but it doesn’t matter to us, no matter how much we get, we’re prepared to take that on,” said ODOT spokesperson Amanda McFarland.
The Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service is in effect from late Friday night through Sunday, with the heaviest snow currently forecasted from Saturday afternoon until Saturday night.
McFarland said motorists should avoid the roads if possible Sunday, but plan ahead if traveling is a must this weekend. ODOT asks residents to drive with caution and allow plenty of room between them and other vehicles.
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Don’t crowd the plow, ODOT stated. Give their trucks plenty of room to work. McFarland said snow can come up over top of the plow and create a snow cloud, which can severely limit visibility. Stay back from the plows, and give yourself plenty of room to get around them, McFarland said.
ODOT also recommended that drivers check their website, OHGO.com, to view traffic cameras along routes they will be traveling, and to see any traffic incidents and the latest road conditions.
You can also find the latest traffic conditions on the Akron-Canton Airport Traffic Center on News5Cleveland.com here.
District 12 has 40,000 tons of salt available to treat interstate, U.S. and state routes outside of cities in the tri-county area, ODOT officials stated. Crews will be monitoring temperatures throughout the evening to ensure they are using the right amount of salt and deicing agents for the conditions.
