RIDOT: Snow challenging to keep up with; concerns for ice

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) – Nearly 12 hours after the storm came through, the snow is still coming down.

While it may look pretty, those plowing it say it’s been a challenge to keep up.

“There were a lot of cars off the road and it’s pretty slick,” Colin Hamilton with Hamilton Landscaping said. “It came down pretty heavy in between 12 and 3:00.”

Street after street, Hamilton took on the snow with his plow, but after one hour, all that hard work was gone.

“We’ve been going since 9:00 last night,” Hamilton said. “It just kept getting worse and we’ve been trying to keep up with it but it’s been a challenge.”

Over in Providence, it’s the same story. Robert Dull is a maintenance worker at some of the buildings downtown. He’s been at it shoveling the snow so people can get out safely.

“I wish I could help more with what’s going on right now, but doing this makes me feel good knowing they get to work safe and home safe,” Dull said.

The Department of Transportation says this storm is no joke. They’ve deployed 114 of their own vehicles and 260 of private contractor vehicles and have been working non-stop around the clock.

“The intensity sometimes was up to 2 inches per hour, which is a real challenge for our plow operators because it not only impairs their vision, but the intensity of the snow is coming down so fast that it’s difficult for them to keep up with it.,” Peter Alviti, Director of RIDOT said.

Alviti says the interstates and main highways were pre-treated and are in pretty good shape, but there’s work to be done on off-ramps and in cities and towns. His biggest concern is the ice.

“The challenge we have coming are the temperatures,” Alviti said. “The temperatures are dropping, it’s going to appear to people that they may have clear roads but it’s going to be very icy.”

In total, State Police and RIDOT say there were 45 weather-related accidents. 30 of those accidents were spin-outs and 15 were collisions. None of them resulted in any injuries.

RIDOT says their crews will remain out on the roads tonight and into Friday.