Between the highways and cities, PennDOT plows cover more than 8 thousand square miles of Central PA roads.
Each plow drivers route is about 40 miles long.
WTAJ’s Karina Cheung joined Eric Dively for his shift covering Route 22 starting in Hollidaysburg and into Cambria County.
“It might be snowing up top and not doing anything at the bottom of this same road even. You just gotta gage all that every time you come out for a storm.”
Eric Dively has been behind the wheel of the plow truck for the last 12 years.
He says clean up is different for each storm, especially on the highway.
“Just to get it clear it might take me 6 or 7 rounds up and down,” said Dively. “Just to get everything clear, because cars as they’re traveling might throw snow back on to the lanes. It might slush back up as we’re cleaning the lanes up.”
Wednesday, he kept the plow at a steady 30 miles per hour up to Cresson, Cambria County.
“I would say the conditions are not very good at all. If they had to hit the breaks and stop they’d probably slide. Hopefully no one travels in that lane and would travel in the lane that’s bare.”
Dively says when he’s plowing, there’s plenty to keep an eye on.
“Well there could be parked cars. People break down or run out of gas. I might have a car sitting on the shoulder, make sure I don’t bury a car, hit people, guy might be fixing a flat tire, that happens time to time.”
Dively wants to remind drivers to give plows extra room while they’re treating the roads.
