BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Western New York's first snowfall of the season caused delays and accidents. In the Town of Cheektowaga, police say there were 27 weather-related crashes Wednesday.
With so many crashes Wednesday morning, 7 News wanted to know what the process was overnight for clearing and salting the roads ahead of the morning commute.
Susan Surdej, the Public Information Officer with the NYSDOT, said there were 95 trucks out salting state highways in Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie and Niagara Counties. She said salting and clearing work started around midnight and continued throughout the morning on major roadways like the 33 which had multiple crashes.
"It's just a combination of you know, the road conditions, driver's reactions, driver's expectations, you know, you may not be able to drive up to speed that first snowfall of the season you have to drive to conditions," she said.
Surdej said the DOT gears up for the winter months during the summer. With snow already here and more on the way, Surdej says they are prepared.
"We are fully ready we are fully stocked our salt barns are fully stocked," she added.
Hamburg's Emergency Manager, Sean Crotty, said he's in constant communication with the town's highway department as they anticipate another round of snow for Thursday morning's commute.
"Our highway department was forward thinking and they got their plow trucks all set. You can see they're staged and ready to go," Crotty said.
He said police are on the roads 24/7 monitoring when roads get messy.
"So the shift commander will get notified and make the determination through dispatch to activate the highway department," Crotty added.
As we prepare for more snow officials are urging you to take it slow.
"Increase your following distance. Give yourself a little extra time," Crotty said.
