Battling against stubborn drifts, and minor roads

DelDOT Secretary Thanks Motorists and Road Workers

Dover -- With the last major snow storm of 2010 behind us, Delaware Secretary of Transportation Carolann Wicks said today, "We can all be proud of the way Delawareans responded to the severe weather that settled over the state Christmas weekend. Our citizens heeded the Governor's request to refrain from driving during the worst of the storm, DelDOT's Traffic Management Center did a terrific job assembling and sharing the information we needed to combat the storm, and DelDOT's Maintenance and Operations teams worked many long hours - and are in fact still working - to clear stubborn snow and ice from our roads and bridges."

Statewide, crews from the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) are continuing to clear roadways of the snow received over the weekend, and are applying salt to those roads that are wet, but are in danger of freezing overnight. Driving restrictions imposed over the weekend have been lifted, but many roads - especially in hardest-hit Sussex County - remain treacherous and extremely cautious driving remains a necessity.

Caution Points:
* As temperatures remained above freezing all day today, the sun is melting much of the hard-packed snow and ice that remains on many of the back roads, however, slushy roads can still be slippery.
* As temperatures are expected to fall to the 20s overnight, crews are applying salt to areas that are wet and are vulnerable to re-freezing overnight. Bridges, intersections and the usual problem areas will receive the most salt.
* Crews and trucks normally stationed in Kent and New Castle counties have been moved to Sussex County to help with snow removal today, so drivers should be on the lookout for snow removal equipment.

Sussex County:
* Crews have moved from the primary routes to the secondary roads and minor roads. Some and roads within subdivisions have been addressed.
* Crews from the other counties are helping clear and treat many of the roads.

Kent County:
* Crews are working on secondary, minor and subdivision roads.
* The primary roads are wet, but clear of snow and ice.
* Approximately 95 percent of all minor roads and subdivision roads are completed. Those roads could have areas of slush and are wet, but the roads are passable.

New Castle County:
* Crews continue to salt and plow as necessary.
* All roads are passable.
* Some minor or subdivision roads might have patches of ice and slush, but all roads are passable.

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DelDOT Snow Facts
Equipment: Statewide, there are 446 pieces of equipment available for snow operations.
* Heavy-duty snow plows of various types and sizes attached to six and 10-wheeled dump trucks.
* Other equipment includes snow blowers, road graders and front-end loaders

Materials: DelDOT primarily uses salt, along with salt/brine and salt/sand mixtures.
* Approximately 65,000 tons of salt are stockpiled in more than 20 locations throughout the state.
* Due to constant replenishment, the stockpiles are currently full.

People: Up to 500 employees are available for snow removal operations:
* Equipment operators
* Mechanics
* Dispatchers
* Administrators and other office personnel

DelDOT maintains approximately 12,900 total lane miles, or 89 percent of the roads in Delaware.