West Virginia Department of Transportation image.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia Division of Highways (WVDOH) said that their maintenance crews are ready for the first snowfall of the season.
The West Virginia highlands, Preston, Monongalia, Taylor, Harrison, and Doddridge counties generally are the first to get snowfall and on average the higher elevations get about 86 inches a year.
Acting District 4 Engineer Mike Daley said crews are ready when the snow comes.
“All of our snowplows and equipment is prepped and ready to go,” Daley said. “Our salt sheds are full, and our aggregate is ready.”
In District 4, Daley has 121 snowplows available, in addition to seven snow blowers and seven graders dedicated to clearing snow.
Snow Removal and Ice Control (SRIC) crews in all 55 counties have been going through dry runs to make sure the drivers are familiar with their snow-clearing routes and equipment. Many counties hold off until October, but crews in the highlands did their dry runs in September.
“We’ve already done all of our dry runs in all of our counties,” Daley said. “We anticipate snow in October. It happens every year.”