Road Crews Expecting To Work Overnight; Refreezing Remains A Concern
PASADENA, Md. (WJZ) -- It's all-hands on deck to push winter away and clear roads across Maryland before the work week begins Monday.
"We've got a pretty good hand on this one," Craig Urban, a plow driver, said. "We're getting it wrapped up pretty quick."
Cleanup Underway As Maryland Sees Its First Snow In 2019
Anne Arundel County battled about six inches of snow, with 260 trucks on duty clearing 3,800 miles of road.
"I gotta say, I like a snow like this," Steuart Pittman, Anne Arundel County Executive, said as he rode along with a plow driver in Pasadena. "It's not icy right now."
And minimal traffic made for ideal cleanup conditions.
"I think all the kids prefer weekday snowstorms, but everybody else prefers them on the weekend when folks aren't trying to get to work," Pittman said. "You can see the roads are pretty quiet on a Sunday."
As of 3 p.m. Sunday, Maryland State Police responded to about 200 crashes statewide.
At the State Highway Operations Center in Glen Burnie -- crews are keeping a close eye on the roads, even catching a spinout near College Park.
They say -- though roads are clear, conditions could change quickly.
"Have about 2500 pieces of equipment out," Charlie Gishler, of MDSHA, said. "As the storm moves away, we will start to scale back a little bit, but we will keep people in overnight crews, entire crews, to make sure nothing refreezes."
John Schofield, with MDSHA, reminded drivers Sunday to clear off their cars before heading onto roadways.
There were a couple of fender benders and people sliding off of the road, but nothing as serious as the fatal accidents this storm caused out in the Midwest, Schofield said.
"Make sure your car is completely cleaned off," he said, "so that the snow on the roof of your car doesn't become a projectile."
AAA Mid-Atlantic reports they have helped more than 1,200 motorists as of 11:30 a.m. across DC, Maryland and Delaware.
We've come to the rescue of 300 motorists here in Maryland," Ragina Cooper Averella, of AAA Mid-Atlantic, said. "Forty percent of the calls in Maryland have been for tows."
One more note -- someone did rear-end a working truck in Montgomery County Sunday, here's your reminder: give plenty of space to those clearing the roads.
The first storm of 2019 cleaned up quickly, but the work is not over yet.
Crews statewide will be out Sunday night watching for that refreeze and treating as needed.
They say it's best to go below the speed limit until things are totally dry.
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