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When it comes to keeping highways clear from snow and ice, the Indiana Department of Transportation says it starts preparing long before the first flakes fall.
INDOT Northeast District Public Relations Director Hunter Petroviak says training and planning start early in the fall, and crews constantly monitor weather forecasts once winter arrives. "So they're watching those very closely to kind of see if and when we can pretreat roads and then when we're expecting the storm to get here and what they're kind of expecting, and they're always kind of tailoring our plan and changing things, even up through the storm," Petroviak explained.
When a storm hits, he says plows are typically on the roads around the clock, with drivers working in 12-hour shifts. "They kind of just stay out until conditions improve and our supervisor team feels that they can pull some staff off the road," Petroviak added.
INDOT is responsible for clearing U.S. highways, state roads and interstates, but not the Indiana Toll Road.
Still, he acknowledges that there are limits to what they can do, and snow may fall faster than crews can clear it. "When our crews are working and in the middle of a heavy snow storm, it's very possible that they've driven through that area multiple times, but the snow just keeps falling back down," Petroviak said.
That's why he says it's important for motorists to drive for the conditions and prepare for slick roads. Petroviak says the best option during a storm is to stay home, but if that isn't possible, give yourself extra travel time and give other vehicles plenty of space. That's especially true for snowplows, which travel slowly and have lots of blind spots.
"Realistically, the safest place to be is a safe distance behind that plow truck because they're the ones that are pushing snow and putting salt down," Petroviak said.
He says you can look at snowplow dash cams at 511in.org or the INDOT Trafficwise app, to help you decide whether or not to travel.
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