Snowfall fight: Morning may be biggest mess

If the Philadelphia area is lucky, the looming snowstorm might mess up only a single rush hour.

It might unleash only flurries this afternoon, which might not stick to treated, well-traveled routes.

By Wednesday afternoon, the major roads are likely to be fairly clear again, though neighborhoods could still be digging out.

Wednesday morning should be a tough go, though - even if the snowfall stops by around 6 a.m.

By then, a half-foot could be on the ground in Philadelphia and its adjoining counties, with more to the north and east.

Drivers will have their own digging out to do, while road crews continue plowing and salting.

PennDOT says two to four hours is usually needed to finish cleaning up after a storm - even with 401 trucks expected to be pressed into service overnight.

"We have nearly 8,000 lane miles in the five counties" of Southeastern Pennsylvania, said spokesman Eugene Blaum. Many of those miles are cleared by municipalities, including Philadelphia, that clear certain state roads under PennDOT contracts.

This storm could whip up some winds overnight that could cause drifting - necessitating more plowing runs.

"That becomes more of a cumbersome operation," said Nick Martino, who oversees maintenance for PennDOT in the Philadelphia area.

With commuters starting to head out by about 5 a.m., traffic will add to the road-clearing challenge - even while cars help heat the roads and break up the mess.

Luckily, no sleet or freezing rain will make conditions even more treacherous.

The battle will begin in earnest this evening.

"This is a plowable storm. This is something where we attack it early," Blaum said. "We always say, first two hours, get control of the storm. . . . Once you get behind it's awfully difficult to catch up."

In advance, brine - a solution of about one-fourth salt, three-fourths water - is sprayed on roads to minimize ice and sticking snow. As light snow begins this evening, granular salt will go on highways. On secondary roads, particularly in rural areas, salt and fine stone are added to the granular salt to aid traction, Blaum explained.

As snowfall continues, the plows will get into gear, and the salting will continue, all in a campaign to turn snow into slush and eventually blacktop.

"We'll be out there as long as it takes doing what's needed to be done," Martino said.

The effort will be geared to handle worst-case scenarios, like the possibility of 10 inches of snow in eastern Bucks County, he said.

Major roads shouldn't be a worry by Wednesday afternoon.

"Motorists should still exercise care, but everything should be wrapped up by then," Blaum said.