SACO, Maine — If you were planning to hit the roads on Friday you may want to reconsider. Cities and towns across the state are experiencing a wide range of weather — from ice to sleet to snow to a mix of everything — and traveling conditions are not ideal.
Paul Merrill, director of communications with the Maine Department of Transportation, said crews are ready to respond to any type of weather and held meetings earlier this week to prepare.
Merrill said he thinks the Maine DOT is in "good shape", with enough equipment, people, and salt — but there is potential for that to change. Merrill said it has been challenging to maintain crews since the Maine DOT was dealing with hiring shortages even before the pandemic, and some employees have gotten sick with COVID-19. Merrill said if service disruptions happen, the Maine DOT will let the public know through the press, social media, road signs, etc.
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"Almost two years into this [pandemic], knock on wood — we have not had any significant service disruptions because of staffing, whether it's because of hiring or COVID-19," Merrill said. "We've been close, and we remain close right now, and we are going to be transparent to the public immediately if we think there's going to be something that's going to change in terms of levels of service on our roads, our ferries — anything that we do."
Merrill said his main concern for Friday isn't necessarily the type of precipitation that falls. Instead, it's the duration of the storm.
"Last weekend was about a 24-hour storm. This weekend, we're looking at potentially 28 [to] 30 hours," said Merrill. "The duration is what makes a bigger difference than the actual form of precipitation because we're concerned about making sure people are working safely when they work long hours."
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Merrill said you should just try to stay home today if you can. If you head out, give yourself extra time and space while driving. Also, he said to please make sure not to crowd the plows.