SUSSEX COUNTY, Del.-Â DelDOT is prepared for any wintry weather Mother Nature sends our way. And it appears the wintry weather arrives Friday morning in the form of snow.
The state's transportation yard at the corner of Route 9 and Gravel Hill Road is stocked with plenty of salt for Friday the season ahead, and the trucks are tuned up and ready for action.
Alastair Probert, an engineer with DelDOT says the first snow event is always the toughest.
"The first event is typically the worst one. People are typically getting used to driving on snow again, so we ask people to be extra cautious when there's an event, first event especially." said Probert.
Probert says about 4,000 tons of salt are ready for Delaware state roads, with 80 plow trucks at the ready. He says for snow or icy events they will pre-treat the roads with brine.
"It buys us time during a snow event to prevent that bond between the snow and the road surface. So it makes it easier to plow it off during the active snow event." said Probert.
The DelDOT official adds that one of the bigger challenges is drifting snow.
"We can spend all that time cleaning the roads off. The operators plow it off , then a half hour later, there's wind drifting that makes it look like you weren't even out there."
Alec Rogers is a mechanic with DelDOT. He says there are items that need to be maintained.
"We have to go through and make sure it all runs okay. We make sure all the wear tags are where they should be, so they don't start wearing into the actual blades that pick up the snow." said Rogers.
According to Probert, DelDOT will start operating plows with at least 1 inch of snow on the roads, and will not finish until all state roads are clear.