Media Contacts: John Lisle (DDOT) at (202) 486-5838, Nancee Lyons (DPW) at (202) 369-6808

The National Weather Service is still predicting snow for the Washington area today, with an expected accumulation of between 1 and 3 inches. Tuesday evening, the snow is expected to mix with sleet and freezing rain and then change to freezing rain after midnight.  An additional inch of snow and sleet accumulation is possible, as well as a quarter inch of ice accumulation.

The District’s Snow Team mobilized early this morning and 124 heavy plows and 82 light plows were deployed before 5 am to spread salt on the city’s 2,950 lane miles of roadway and 241 bridges.

The Snow Team (District Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works) treats 69 primary and secondary routes, 82 residential routes and 75 miles of major roadways and Interstate Highways (part of the National Highway System).

When fully deployed, the team’s resources include nearly 300 pieces of equipment, capacity filled snow domes and over 100 closed circuit television (CCTV) traffic cameras to be used to track progressive treatment and to monitor the surface conditions of the roadway.

In addition to the fleet of heavy and light plows, loaders and spray trucks, the District closely monitors National Weather Service forecasts, and uses an automatic vehicle location system, geo-spatial information system (GIS) and road weather information systems (RWIS). Each of these help the team determine anticipated roadway conditions, areas in need of snow and/or ice removal and current roadway temperatures.

Additional information on the snow deployment plan may be found at ddot.dc.gov.

DDOT and DPW remind commuters and residents to:

• Clear sidewalks.
• Help your elderly or disabled neighbors remove snow from steps and sidewalks.
• Clear catch basins and fire hydrants.
• Remember that driving on ice is significantly different than driving on snow.
• 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.
• Watch for slippery bridge decks, even when the rest of the pavement is in good condition. Bridge decks will ice up sooner than the adjacent pavement.
• Remember to keep a safe distance from emergency and snow vehicles and please use caution when attempting to pass a snowplow. Give the drivers plenty of room to safely do their jobs.
• Clear all the snow and ice from your vehicle's windows and lights - even the hood and roof - before driving.
• Please do not put snow in the street. Put all cleared snow, from parked cars and sidewalks in the "tree box," front yard, or between the curb and sidewalk.