Road Weather Management Program
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Best Practices for Road Weather Management Version 2.0

Best Practices > Publications > Publication Titles

Title:

Independent Report on the Mid-February 2007 Winter Storm Response for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Abstract:

A major winter storm hit the Northeast United States on February 13 to 14, 2007. Unlike the rest of the Northeast, Pennsylvania was caught in the middle of the storm between a northerly snow front and southerly ice and freezing rain. The results were disastrous. All told, approximately 150 miles of interstate highways were blocked. Hundreds of motorists were stranded on the interstates for extensive periods of time, some for more than 20 hours. The situation and road conditions were so bad that PennDOT officially closed parts of Interstates 78, 80 and 81 on February 15, impairing travel and commerce. Once the ice and abandoned vehicles were removed, the roads were reopened on February 17. This report is the result of that investigation conducted by a team of experts with decades of experience in highway snow operations, law enforcement, incident command, military operations, emergency management and communications, and state government administration.

Source(s):

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, prepared by James Lee Witt Associates

Date: 2007

Author:

James Lee Witt Associates

Keywords:


Snow
Ice/Frost
Access control
Winter maintenance
Institutional issues
Forecast/Prediction
Road Weather Information System (RWIS)
Traveler information
Law enforcement
Emergency management
Traffic control

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