Crews with PennDOT are responsible for clearing Route 19 in Cranberry Township, a task that can be complicated, and aided, by heavy traffic.

CRANBERRY TWP — The new year has brought with it a seemingly endless barrage of snow storms, with several inches covering local roads a handful of times in the first weeks of January.

In Cranberry Township, though side roads and cul-de-sacs are the responsibility of local officials, heavily-traveled state Route 19 falls to the state to keep clear. That already challenging task can sometimes be complicated — and assisted — by the nearly 100,000 vehicles traveling the road each weekday.

Mike Mattis, PennDOT's Butler County maintenance manager, said an assigned stockpile of road salt and brine and a number of trucks are situated and used in Cranberry, with an emphasis on Route 19. Each driver has multiple routes they must cover during the course of a shift, which can sometimes leave the major road reduced.

“During a snowstorm, we might not have 19 completely open, but we have one or try to have two lanes,” Mattis said.

In addition to the Cranberry unit, PennDOT has a specific stockpile of materials and crews for Interstate 79, and a separate crew for the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Mattis said the challenge is in the timing, as crews must be ready to treat roads before the accumulation begins, and before rush hour. That heavy influx of traffic, though, can be helpful.

“The traffic helps beat the material into the roads,” he said, adding that assists in the melting process.

Once the rush is through, crews attack the remaining accumulation via a “plow train.” Mattis said this tactic is aimed at clearing the center turning lane. The process is repeated for the duration of the storm.

The severity of recent weather has forced crews to work 12-hour days, with the majority of the clearing happening in the early morning or late-night hours.

“We do what we can to make the roads as safe and passable as possible,” Mattis said.

Chuck Mascellino, Cranberry Township Police sergeant, said PennDOT does a very good job in keeping Route 19 and all roads clear, particularly in recent weeks.

“It's been a weird stretch because there hasn't been warm weather to clear things up,” he said. “They are very responsive.”

The job, inherently unsafe in its nature, can be further complicated by overly aggressive drivers who attempt to pass or crowd trucks as they're clearing roads. Mattis said drivers should try to steer clear.

“When we're plowing one lane, and the other is slush covered and you try to pass, it cannot end very well,” he said.