During Bucks County Stop, Gov. Shapiro Says Thanks

After PennDOT crews spent all of Sunday and into Monday clearing snow from local roads, Gov. Josh Shapiro visited plow drivers in Bucks County to thank them for their work.

“I want to thank all the PennDOT workers across this Commonwealth who have been out working during this storm,” Shapiro said. “Our PennDOT teams do great work every single day and are, in many ways, unsung heroes in our communities.”

Standing at PennDOT’s salt stockpile near Route 1 and Street Road, Shapiro, a Democrat, met with the crews who had been working throughout the weekend to clear local roadways and highways.

Shapiro was joined by PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll for a briefing on the state’s snow-clearing performance.

The governor credited the public’s decision to stay off the roads, which was aided by school closures and remote work decisions by companies, for giving crews the room to plow and salt in the wake of the storm that dumped several inches throughout the region and up to two feet in parts of the state.

The weekend operation involved nearly 4,700 PennDOT workers operating more than 2,600 plow trucks and other equipment.

The state entered the storm with over 500,000 tons of salt stockpiled statewide, according to the governor’s office.

In District 6, which encompasses Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia counties, the snow clearing work involved 182 plow trucks, 30 anti-icing trucks, 38 loader vehicles, three graders, and a a team of 239 operators, 93 temporary operators, and 29 mechanics.

“What happened yesterday across Pennsylvania, and here in Bucks County, was a team win,” Carroll said.

Shapiro and Caroll also extended thanks to the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA), the Pennsylvania State Police, and the trucking community for their coordination during the event.

The PennDOT secretary noted the state has invested more than $150 million during Shapiro’s first term to modernize equipment.

Thomas Rogal, PennDOT District 6 assistant district executive of maintenance, reported that local crews began the storm with 14,000 tons of salt. As of Monday, 9,000 tons remained.

Rogal told reporters that salt supplies are enough for future weather events and added that PennDOT has been assisting municipalities that exhausted their own salt stockpiles.

Before addressing the media, Shapiro toured the Bensalem Township PennDOT yard and climbed into the cab of a large plow truck.

During the tour, the governor spoke with a crew member about the job. Another plow operator shared his strategy for the long shifts – warm chili and Red Bull to stay alert.