Contact (Media Only): Erik Linden's cell (202) 438-7719,  Karyn LeBlanc's cell (202) 497-4572

(Washington, DC) The National Weather Service maintains a winter storm warning through tomorrow afternoon. Crews for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and Department of Public Works (DPW) continue to prepare for a possible ice event through Wednesday morning.

Crews continue in a full deployment mode and have been treating major roadways throughout the day. Crews will continue to work throughout the remainder of the storm, working through the major roadways and residential streets. Full deployment includes approximately 150 trucks and 450 total personnel working on storm operations.

DDOT officials today showed Mayor Adrian M. Fenty the city’s new “brine” machine and tanker—which distributes a liquid salt mixture designed to aggressively treat roadways. The process came about as part of DDOT’s best practices research into how other major cities treat roadways during winter storms.

DDOT, along with the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), also launched a “beta” pilot project portion on its website today to help the public view crew activity. The goal is to create a stream of information for the public to see how and when road surfaces are treated during a winter storm. The site is “first generation” and DDOT is seeking feedback from users on the site. The site can be found here: Snow Automatic Vehicle Locator. The site is part of Mayor Fenty’s Action Plan: 100 Days and Beyond.

DDOT acting Director Emeka Moneme reminded drivers to take their time tonight and tomorrow. “Motorists should use extreme caution when driving both tonight and tomorrow,” said Moneme. “We will do our part in treating roadways—and motorists need to do their part in driving carefully or taking public transportation instead of driving.”

DDOT and DPW remind commuters and residents to:

• Use Metro when possible;
• Telecommute on Wednesday if possible;
• Drivers should use extreme caution and maintain safe speeds and distances from other vehicles; 
• Remember even a 4-wheel drive SUV does not perform well in ice and additional safety measures should be followed; 
• Be aware of road conditions, particularly black ice which can be deceptive in its appearance giving the driver a false sense of security on the road; and
• Remember to keep a safe distance from emergency and snow vehicles during any major winter weather event.