Winter storm blankets roads
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Jan. 6, 2025) – The Ohio Department of Transportation is asking drivers to allow plenty of time to get to their destinations this morning as the snow falls.
All the roads have snow on them right from the overnight storm, some a lot worse than others. Traffic has been moving much slower than it normally would be. Some crashes or slide-offs have been reported on I-77 in Tuscarawas County.
ODOT District 11 Spokesperson Lauren Borell says their crews started prepping trucks Sunday evening and then hit the road at about midnight for 12-hour shifts.
Image from ODOT District 11 on Facebook
Borell says they have 92 plow trucks on the roads in this eastern Ohio region, including up to 18 in Tuscarawas County.
She says ODOT’s goal is to make the roads passable during these weather events.
“When you see those snow-covered roads during heavy snowfall, that’s to be expected. And it’s not because we haven’t been through there, it’s mother nature,” Borell said.
“Our trucks are traveling well below the posted speed limit to begin with. They’re watching traffic, they’re watching where their plow direction is going and everything, so it slows them down quite a bit.”
Borell says ODOT just on Sunday had at least three of its plow trucks struck by drivers in southern Ohio. The employees were OK.
Borell reminds drivers to visit the OHGO app or website before leaving home to check out the latest road conditions.