HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania transportation officials are moving to lock down large portions of the state’s highway system as a powerful winter storm bearing heavy snow and bitter cold bears down on the Commonwealth.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission said vehicle restrictions will take effect beginning at 12:01 a.m. Sunday as snow spreads across the state Saturday night and intensifies into Sunday. Forecasts call for snowfall rates of 1 to 2 inches per hour by Sunday afternoon, with temperatures remaining below freezing statewide well into next week.
Under Tier 4 of the state’s weather event vehicle restriction plan, restrictions will cover all Pennsylvania interstates, including the entire Pennsylvania Turnpike system, as well as major U.S. and state routes across multiple regions. Officials said restrictions will be communicated through roadside message boards, the 511PA system and mobile apps, and may change as conditions deteriorate or improve.
On roadways under Tier 4 restrictions, commercial vehicles are prohibited. School buses, commercial buses, motor coaches, motorcycles, RVs and motorhomes are also barred, along with passenger vehicles towing trailers. Speed limits will be reduced to 45 miles per hour for all permitted vehicles, and commercial vehicles allowed to remain on the road must stay in the right lane. Additional restrictions could be added if conditions worsen.
Transportation officials are urging drivers to avoid unnecessary travel altogether, warning that heavy snow, drifting and poor visibility could make conditions dangerous and unpredictable. Those who must travel are being advised to slow down, increase following distances, stay in their lanes and avoid stopping in traffic during whiteout conditions.
State data underscores the risk. Preliminary figures from last winter show 8,329 crashes on snowy, slushy or ice-covered roads in Pennsylvania, resulting in 29 deaths and nearly 3,000 injuries. More than a third of the fatalities involved drivers who were speeding for conditions or left their lanes, and 11 people killed were not wearing seat belts.
Officials said restrictions will be lifted as quickly as conditions allow but warned that enforcement will remain strict as crews work to keep highways passable during the storm.