Motorists are urged to avoid all unnecessary travel
this evening

Significant snowfall and high winds are expected to create treacherous driving conditions

Weather forecasters are anticipating high winds to accompany the snow storm, creating the potential for blizzard-like conditions. The storm is expected to intensify as early as the evening peak travel period and continue until the early morning hours of Friday. Extremely low temperatures are predicted for Friday and Saturday, so motorists should expect to encounter icy conditions and operate their vehicles cautiously. At extreme low temperatures, de-icing materials become less effective.

NJDOT, the Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority have coordinated their plans to keep roads clear of snow and ice and as safe as possible. The agencies have alerted crews and are prepared to deploy thousands of plows and salt spreaders later today. The agencies have completed the job of pre-treating roads with brine to help melt snow. They also have coordinated with the New Jersey State Police and the Office of Emergency Management.

“I strongly urge motorists to make plans to reach their destinations as early as possible by late afternoon or early evening and stay off the roads during the storm,” NJDOT Commissioner James Simpson said. “Avoiding unnecessary travel during a storm is the best way to prevent spinouts and crashes, which put motorists and first-responders in danger and hampers the efforts of the men and women who will be working around the clock to make our roadways safe.”

"As we start off the new year with a snowy forecast, we're asking drivers to be considerate of our law enforcement officers and first responders whose job it is to keep us all safe on the roads," said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. "Whether it's a trooper investigating an accident on the highway or a DOT worker clearing the roads, drivers should slow down, move over, and give them space to do their job safely."

NJDOT, the Turnpike Authority and SJTA have equipment, personnel and ample salt stockpiles at the ready. In addition to in-house forces, plow contractors have been alerted and will be reporting for duty later this afternoon.

NJDOT, the Turnpike Authority and SJTA have equipment, personnel and ample salt stockpiles at the ready. In addition to in-house forces, plow contractors have been alerted and will be reporting for duty later this afternoon.

• NJDOT has 538 salt-spreader trucks and about 1,900 contractor trucks ready to plow or spread salt.

• The Turnpike Authority has 467 plow/spreader trucks ready to go and another 317 contractor trucks for plow or spreading duty.

• SJTA has 48 plow/spreader trucks and another 8 contractor trucks available for plowing and spreading.

NJDOT has the capacity to store 164,003 tons of rock salt, while capacity at the Turnpike Authority is 57,692 tons and 7,000 tons at SJTA.

Liquid calcium chloride is used to enhance the effectiveness of rock salt at low temperatures. NJDOT can stockpile up to 716,402 gallons, while the Turnpike Authority can store up to 123,242 gallons. SJTA can store 10,000 gallons.

Motorists are encouraged to check www.511nj.org for real-time travel information.