ST. MARY’S COUNTY, Md. — The Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T) has detailed its snow removal and ice control operational plan, aiming to set clear expectations for residents during winter weather events.
The plan prioritizes arterial streets, major collector roads, and urban commercial roadways as the first areas to be cleared. Once these primary routes are addressed, crews focus on secondary residential streets and minor collector roads. Local subdivision roads, including courts and dead ends, are handled last, as they are the least traveled.
To enhance transparency and communication, DPW&T has introduced an interactive Service Area Map. This map visually tracks progress on more than 1,500 county-maintained roadways, spanning over 1,400 lane miles across four service areas: North, Central, West, and South.
As roadways are treated or plowed, they are shaded purple on the map, which updates every 15 minutes. Residents can zoom in, search specific road names, and monitor the status of snow removal efforts.
The department emphasized the importance of safety during operations, stating, “While speed and efficiency are important, DPW&T employees are instructed to maintain safety standards as they work to maintain safe roads for citizens and visitors.”
Despite efforts to clear and salt roads, DPW&T cautions residents that some streets may remain snow-packed. Snow-packed roads occur when compacted snow adheres to the pavement due to vehicular traffic and cold temperatures, particularly when below 15–20 degrees. Salt is less effective in such conditions, and roads may not return to bare pavement until temperatures rise or the snow melts naturally.
As the snow begins to break apart, crews may return to re-plow or allow the snow to melt away on its own. Residents can assist DPW&T’s efforts through the Snow Spotters Program by reporting changing roadway conditions to ensure no areas are unintentionally overlooked.
For inclement weather and emergency information, residents are encouraged to call the Citizen Emergency Messaging System at (301) 475-4200 ext. 4911.
The interactive Service Area Map can be accessed at this link, and additional details about the plan are available on the DPW&T website at St. Mary’s County Road Alert Map.
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