Temps to rise; Freezing rain chances for morning commute
Local Indiana Department of Transportation maintenance supervisors monitored weather forecasts and deployed yellow trucks ahead of today’s snowstorm. As of 3 p.m. Eastern time, about 700 trucks continue to plow and treat state highways.
A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect through midnight for western and southern Indiana south of a line from Lafayette to Cincinnati, Ohio.
Each INDOT plow route takes 2-3 hours to complete with salt assisting in melting between passes. Trained truck drivers alternate shifts of 12 hours or more to ensure around-the-clock coverage.
Temperatures impact roads
Right now pavement temperatures remain well below freezing, requiring road salt to work harder to melt snow and ice. Granular salt helps to add traction while lowering the temperature at which the ice melts.
Air temperatures are predicted to rise ahead of the Monday morning commute, increasing the chances for freezing rain in southern and central Indiana. Drivers should not be over-confident with pavement that appears to be bare as there may be a clear coating of freezing rain or “black ice”. Even four-wheel-drive vehicles and large trucks are no match if all tires are on ice.
INDOT maintenance supervisors will closely monitor the boundary between rain, sleet, ice and snow and adjust their deployment of manpower, equipment and materials as appropriate.
Know before you go
There are several state resources that drivers can access to “know before you go”:
- Counties post travel advisories as new information is available to http://in.gov/dhs/traveladvisory or the Indiana Travel Advisory app for iPhone or Android.
- INDOT maintenance staff report color-coded winter driving conditions on INDOT’s TrafficWise map at http://indot.carsprogram.org. Road conditions are defined as: (1) Gray: Good, the road is clear (2) Blue: Fair, speed is reduced due to isolated patches of snow and ice, and (3) Violet: Difficult or hazardous, speed is reduced due to snow and/or ice covered pavement
- Dial INDOT’s hotline toll-free at 1-800-261-ROAD (7623) or 511 from a mobile phone.
- Find your regional INDOT district on Facebook and Twitter at http://in.gov/indot/3074.htm.
