White Out Conditions and Wind Gusts Prevail – Some Roads Temporarily Closed

(February 10, 2010 – 11 a.m.) –State Highway Administration (SHA) crews continue to plow state highways as conditions worsen, power lines and trees block travel lanes and winds create white out conditions in some areas.  In some cases, SHA crews are temporarily pulling off the road and ceasing plowing until visibility improves. Until conditions improve, state highway crews in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties are suspending plowing operations, along with the local jurisdictions of Montgomery and Frederick counties.  Harford County is only permitting emergency vehicles on local roads. 

At SHA’s Statewide Operations Center, operators monitor conditions with access to more than 300 cameras.  The SOC team has observed cars spin out and motorists becoming stranded and in some cases, abandoning their cars and walking in the highways.  These dangerous, blizzard conditions can lead to serious injuries and crashes and pull valuable resources away from fighting the storm.  While SHA responds to incidents, work on the highways is delayed, causing conditions to severely deteriorate at an even faster rate.  Crews may then be unable to regain passable conditions on the highway.

“The weather conditions are some of the worst we’ve seen in years,” said SHA Administrator Neil J. Pedersen.  “You are taking your life into your own hands and jeopardizing others’ lives if you choose to go out.” 

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) announced the US 301 (Nice Bridge) bridge over the Potomac River between Maryland and Virginia is temporarily closed due to poor visibility and high winds.
 

For the latest weather and road conditions and to view live traffic cameras during the storm, citizens can log onto www.roads.maryland.gov and click on CHART.  Customers may also follow SHA on Twitter at www.twitter.com/mdsha or call the Winter Storm hotline at

1-800-327-3125 for a regularly updated message with weather and roadway conditions.  If you need to report a non-emergency issue for a state highway, please log onto the website and click on the Service Request link from the “Contact Us” page.

# # #