DelDOT prepares for first winter storm of 2025

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Mid-Atlantic that will be in effect from late this evening to Monday night, Jan. 6. Go to tinyurl.com/3tpwbv3v for more information.

The department has 300 pieces of snow removal equipment and is responsible for nearly 14,000 lane miles of road in the state and initial efforts will be focused on clearing primary roads such as I-95 and routes 1, 13 and 113. The objective is to keep primary roads passable, and drivers are advised to adapt their driving to the road conditions and avoid driving during the storm if possible. DelDOT cannot provide estimates on when specific roads will be plowed as conditions will dictate plowing operations.

Once primary roads are determined to be in passable condition, plow crews will move to secondary roads such as Route 9, Route 24, and Route 71, and then to local roads. DelDOT began brining roads in Sussex County on Sunday morning, Jan. 5. Routes 1 and 13 will be brined in Kent County from the New Castle County line to Dover. New Castle County roads were brined Jan. 3, and no additional brining is necessary. 

The department has several resources available to monitor road conditions in real-time. The DelDOT interactive map, available on the deldot.gov website, and the DelDOT app provide resources such as 230 traffic cameras and the snowplow tracker that will be active throughout the storm event.  The Frequently Asked Questions webpage also provides additional information related to snow removal operations. Downed trees and wires can be reported to the Transportation Management Center by calling 302-659-4060, or #77 on cellphones.

DelDOT will post updates on Facebook, NextDoor, and X social media platforms throughout the storm event and issue news releases should driving restrictions be necessary.