ODOT Urges Caution as First Major Snowstorm of the Year Approaches

ZANESVILLE, OH – With the first big snow of the new year anticipated for this weekend, the Ohio Department of Transportation wants to remind drivers to stay alert.

According to the Department of Public Safety, last winter alone saw 8,104 crashes caused by icy and slush like conditions on the roadways; 15 people died as a result of those crashes.

Phil Valentine, the ODOT Muskingum County Manager, says drivers should slow down and allow themselves more time to get to their destination when the weather takes a turn.

“I think everyone should remember to slow down, leave early in these events.” Valentine said. “It’s been a while since we had snow so we’re a little rusty too. We’ve got warmed up, we have a lot of new people to get trained up, we got a lot of new seasonals that we’re grateful to have this year, so we’re getting warmed up too, so we ask everyone to be patient with us in the beginning of the winter.”

Valentine also recommends filling your tires with the right amount of air as well as adding some sandbags for weight if you drive a pick-up truck.

Chas Cosgrave, the Public Information Officer for District 5, is encouraging drivers to give the plow trucks room to move.

He says the trucks tend to take wide turns in order to remove the snow which has resulted in some accidents.

“Unfortunately when we have accidents involving our snow and ice equipment, strikes against plows and things of that nature, that takes valuable equipment out of circulation that we can be using to clear the roads faster and more expeditiously for the public.” Cosgrave said. “There’s a lot of very important things to kind of keep in mind as you see the plows out; slow down, give them room to work, allow extra stopping distance, never pass a snowplow that’s actively plowing.”

ODOT says their main goal is to have primary routes back up to speed within 2 hours and secondary routes within 4 hours of the end of a snow event.