First 2016 Snowfall Wakes County to Winter Weather
A man shovels snow from the sidewalk outside of the 400 block of Market Street in Kittanning Borough yesterday afternoon. Reports indicate as much as three inches of snow fell during the day to cause travel headaches and vehicle crashes throughout the region.
by Jonathan Weaver
Commuters early Tuesday morning were treated to their first significant dose of this season’s winter weather.
But, Armstrong County Maintenance Manager Andrew Firment said maintenance crews were prepared and were already treating major roadways before snow intensified about 5AM.
“We were out before the snow hit – which was a good thing,” Firment said. “The snow was really steady with some really intense waves that moved through and dumped a lot of snow in a small amount of time.”
Firment added that salt residue from previous storms also aided road workers.
Pennsylvania State Police troopers from the Kittanning barracks even responded to three vehicle accidents before 9:30AM – all of which along Route 85 in either Cowanshannock or Rayburn Townships.
Though neither driver was injured in the Cowanshannock Township crashes, one woman from Yatesboro was transported to ACMH Hospital via Kittanning EMS after sustaining minor injuries when her Jeep Grand Cherokee lost traction on the pavement.
Firment also particularly noted a windy snow squall along the Route 422 corridor that frustrated commuters as well as road crews shortly before 2PM.
“No major accidents, but we did have some tractor-trailers that got hung up – which slowed things down,” Firment said. “We had to work to get the tractor-trailers moving so that we could get traffic moving.
“It was a complete white-out. We actually had three trucks on that section of 422, and it came down so hard that we had some trouble keeping up with it.”
Firment said, since this was the “first significant snowfall of the year,” many motorists forgot key safety tips to driving in the snow.
Snow plow trucks were noted on several roadways to try and assist PennDOT crews with keeping roads passable for the evening commute.
“The biggest thing anybody can do is just slow down and take your time,” Firment said.
With a winter weather advisory still forecasted by National Weather Service meteorologists and temperatures expected to stay below freezing, Firment and County Public Safety Director Randy Brozenick emphasized that drivers should continue the safe driving habit.
“With colder temperatures and the wind chills, you always have to be cautious of roads that were treated to possibly have a little bit of ice on it,” Firment said.
The weather conditions already caused District PennDOT officials to place a 45-mile-per-hour speed limit restrictions in place on Interstate 80 in both Clarion and Clearfield Counties, as well as close a portion of Interstate 80 Westbound.
Brozenick personally witnessed 9-1-1 dispatchers frantically working within the Emergency Operations Center during yesterday’s winter weather.
Though he did note several vehicle accidents or vehicles stuck in snowbanks, he said no more volunteer firefighters or emergency medical technicians were dispatched to any major emergencies.
According to the State’s 511PA online tracker, PennDOT crews began Tuesday evening treating Route 28 and along Route 422 in Kittanning Township.
PennDOT began a pilot including 119 plow trucks in 2014-15 with the Automated Vehicle Location (AVL) system, which uses in-truck technology to log and share data in real-time for that truck. This winter, 516 PennDOT dump trucks and 212 contracted rental trucks on interstates and expressways across the state will have the technology installed.
If the pilot continues to show positive results, the department may eventually install AVL on all department-force and contracted trucks.
The weather also cancelled Armstrong School District Tuesday afternoon kindergarten classes and all Tuesday evening elementary activities. Morning Kindergarten students were kept at their respective schools, fed lunch and went home on afternoon buses.
PennDOT road crews began this morning at 4AM.
In retrospect, the first snowfall of 2015 was also noted after the New Year began – specifically January 6.
Local News | jweaver January 13, 2016
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