Blizzard Warning Issued for Eastern Shore; Holiday Travelers Should Remain Alert for Slick Conditions as Temperatures Drop Overnight

From the Maryland State Highway Administration:

State Highway Administration (SHA) crews continue to battle the holiday weekend storm statewide. Crews were deployed overnight and were out throughout the day. Now that nightfall has arrived, crews are salting along State-numbered routes in central Maryland where needed. Plowing is also underway in parts of southern Maryland and the Eastern Shore.

SHA continues to monitor the storm’s path, especially along the I-95 corridor and east of the Chesapeake Bay. Warnings and advisories were issued today for the Eastern Shore and many of those counties also have snow emergency plans in effect. A complement of crews will be available overnight, focusing their efforts on potential freezing road surfaces in the metro areas by salting where needed. Motorists must drive with extreme caution, as “black ice” is a major concern as temperatures fall below 30 degrees. Because of potential high winds, drivers should also prepare for signal outages and downed trees.

“Drivers need to be extremely cautious as temperatures fall overnight,” said Governor Martin O’Malley. “Safety for the traveling public and visitors to our State is extremely important. We ask that drivers use extreme caution especially along bridges, ramps and overpasses.”

SHA owns and maintains all non-toll roads in Maryland except those in Baltimore City. Examples of State routes include MD 45 (York Road) in Baltimore County, MD 202 (Landover Road) in Prince George’s County, MD 589 (Coastal Highway) in Ocean City and I-68 in western Maryland. If the route does not have a State number it is owned, maintained and plowed by a local jurisdiction or municipality (Click here.) Toll roads (such as I-95 north of Baltimore and US 50 Bay Bridge) are owned and maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).

Customers can monitor road conditions and plan travel routes for Monday morning by logging on to www.roads.maryland.gov and clicking on “CHART” (Coordinated Highway Action Response Team). The CHART website provides a treasure trove of travel information and real-time traffic camera views.