Winter Maintenance of Township Roads

PennDOT has great information regarding winter preparation. To read the full article, click here.

Vehicle Preparation

As outlined in a previous post, there are some things you can do to make sure your vehicle is ready if you have to travel during a storm.

  • Check that your fluid levels are full.
  • Make sure your wipers don’t streak. You may want to consider installing winter wiper blades.
  • Ensure your heater and defroster are working properly.
  • Check that your vehicle’s radio is working properly so you can receive weather and traffic reports.
  • Make sure all lights are working.
  • Check to be sure tires are properly inflated and have sufficient tread depth.
  • If you live in an area prone to heavy snow, you may want to use dedicated snow tires on your vehicle or carry a set of tire chains. At a minimum, your all-weather tires should be mud and snow rated.
  • In the case of a problem, contact a mechanic immediately.

Mailbox Preparation

Mailboxes are often damaged from plow trucks during snow storms. In order to avoid damage to your mailbox, the township recommends installing it off the road right of way, which is 16 feet from the center of the road. However, even if your mailbox is off the road right of way, the township is not responsible for repair or replacement of a damaged mailbox.

Some things you can do to avoid damage:

  • Be sure your mailbox has a strong support.
  • Use reflective tape or other material to make it easier to see during storms or during dark hours.
  • Check your box and support often, clearing snow from it and depositing the snow properly and in a manner to allow you and motorists proper sight distances (and never on the roadway).

If your mailbox is frequently damaged, consider installing a cantilevered mailbox support that will swing a mailbox out of harm’s way.

Driveway Preparation

Just as the township tries to keep up with clearing the snow from the roads, you probably try to keep the snow off your driveway. Here are some dos & don’ts for driveway snow removal:

Do

  • Snow should be shoveled or plowed to the right side of the driveway as you are facing the intersecting roadway. By piling the snow away from the oncoming direction of the snow plows, the snow will not be pushed back onto the driveway.
  • Eliminate snow piles at the property entrance whenever possible. High accumulations of snow can obstruct the vision of motorists, posing a safety hazard.

Don’t

  • Obstruct road lanes and drainage facilities with snow and ice.
  • Push snow onto roadways at any time. This creates a hazardous condition for all vehicles.
  • Snow should not be shoveled onto any roadway as this can increase the potential for crashes, and property owners can be held liable for any resulting crashes.