Crews Preparing Roads For Morning Commute

Baltimore (WJZ) -- Hundreds of city workers and private contractors have been brought in ahead of the snow, with some will working throughout the night.

More than 300 pieces of equipment will be loading up then going out. But the big concern is the timing and it coinciding with the Friday morning commute.

"We have been prepared since August for this, and we always prepare for winter events. We will be activating our Emergency Operating Center, working through the evening and overnight for the morning commute," says Adrienne Barnes, with Baltimore City Dept. of Transportation.

In Baltimore County, crews were already deployed even before the first snow flake. Pre-treatment started over 24 hours ago, and continued into Thursday night.

But the most snow activity right now is in western Maryland, as snow has already covered roadways there. The state highway administration says it's ready, but there is some concern for the morning commute.

"If the snow comes at rush hour, either Thursday night or Friday morning, that's the worst case scenario, so no matter what our preps are, if it's snowing in the middle of heavy traffic, it will be difficult for everybody, including our crews," says Valerie Burnette Edgar with the State Highway Administration

The city says it had 17,000 tons of salt, but some of that has already been used mainly for bridges, overpasses and the main roads. Across the state, commuters are being asked to delay their morning commute, if they can.

Follow @CBSBaltimore on Twitter and like WJZ-TV | CBS Baltimore on Facebook