Politics & Government

Illinois Tollway: Full Fleet On The Roads

Full fleet of tollway snowplows are ready for deployment and snow operations center will be activated.

 

The Illinois Tollway expects to mobilize its full fleet of 183 snowplows in response to the snowfall today, and continue into Saturday morning, making travel safer and easier for customers on the 286-mile system of roads in Northern Illinois.

"The Illinois Tollway is ready to put our snow removal plans into action as soon as the snow hits the pavement," said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur in a press release issued late Thursday.

Find out what's happening in Huntleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"The safety of our customers is our top priority, and we are well-prepared to respond to the snowfall expected throughout the day tomorrow."

To help with snow removal efforts, tollway authorities have cancelled all temporary lane closures from 7 a.m. on Friday to 7 a.m. on Saturday, according the release.

Find out what's happening in Huntleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

For this snow storm, the tollway is offering the following travel tips:

* Adjust speed to road conditions and traffic around you. Reducing speed during inclement weather conditions increases your ability to respond to the unexpected.

* Reduce speed on ramps and in cash lanes at toll plazas.

* Increase the interval between your vehicle and the car in front of you.  Stopping distances increase as pavement conditions deteriorate.

* Avoid unnecessary lane changes. During heavy snowstorms, slush and packed snow build up in the area between traffic lanes. Abrupt, or frequent lane changes may cause your vehicle to slide on the buildup and spin out of control.

* Keep away from snowplows.  Should you encounter snowplows, the safest choice is to keep back and let them do their job.  They travel at a speed of approximately 30 mph, so traffic delays should be expected. 

* Call *999 for roadway assistance.  Should you encounter car trouble and require roadway assistance, try to move your car to a safe position on the shoulder or in an untraveled area. Report stranded vehicles by dialing *999 from a cellular phone.

* Stay in your vehicle, H.E.L.P. is on the way. During continued periods of extremely cold weather, the Illinois Tollway operates a "Zero Patrol" to supplement the Illinois State Police District 15 and the Tollway's Highway Emergency Lane Patrol (H.E.L.P.) vehicles. 

These patrols enable the tollway to cover the entire 286-mile Tollway system 24 hours per day when temperatures and wind chills are at or below zero. Stay in your vehicle - it's the safest place to be if you are stranded.

llinois Tollway operates a toll-free telephone line to keep customers up to date about weather conditions on its roadways.  Customers can call 1-800-865-5394 to get recorded information updated every two hours, or as conditions require during winter storms.

The Tollway's Traffic and Incident Management System provides real-time travel times and roadway conditions via the Illinois Tollway's website and on over-the-road electronic message signs throughout the tollway system.

 


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