ODOT shares update on operations

Submitted information

Ohio Department of Transportation crews throughout northwest Ohio remain operating on 12-hour shifts in response to the weekend weather system. The following is a general update regarding ODOT’s operations:

Northwest Ohio (16-county region)

Crews and operations

• ODOT crews continue to plow and in some counties will remain on 12-hour shifts, where needed.
• This storm has limited crews to just plowing as winds and cold temperatures keep salt from remaining on the pavement and from working effectively. ODOT continued to treat areas such as bridge decks, intersections, and roundabouts with salt. As temperatures start to rise, winds die down, and some pavement begins to reappear, crews will begin applying salt to highways.
• One confirmed plow strike was recorded on Sunday. A Wood County ODOT truck was struck while engaged in snow and ice operations with no injuries reported.
• Winds will increase on Tuesday with the arrival of another weather system, making drifting snow a challenge. ODOT estimates 12-hour shifts will continue until Thursday.
• At present, the weekend looks clear with no snow predicted and decreasing wind speeds. 
• ODOT northwest Ohio has over 53,000 tons of salt on hand to serve the 16-county area.

Equipment

• Crews been able to manage equipment challenges caused by the extreme cold.
• ODOT mechanics continue to keep the fleet operational. An expected number of trucks are currently down with minor repairs needed but ODOT anticipate returning them to service soon.
• In the last 24 hours, ODOT crews in the 16-county region in northwest Ohio drove 28,069 miles in response to this storm system.

ODOT statewide 

• ODOT has 400,000 tons of salt on hand.
• In the last 24 hours, ODOT crews across the state have covered 180,000 miles.
• ODOT had 34 plows struck before this storm. Currently, four additional strikes have been confirmed bringing the total to 38.