Prince George's County readies snow response as multi-day storm approaches

The county's Department of Public Works and Transportation told the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment (TIEE) committee it has stepped up preparations for a predicted multi‑day snow event, including extended contracting, additional equipment and clarified public reporting protocols. Director Johnson led the briefing and said DPW&T had already begun pretreatment operations.

DPW&T framed its operational posture by levels, from a light "snowflake" salting response up to full multi‑day plowing and blizzard responses. Director Johnson said the agency must follow a fixed sequence: "The primary roads must be done first," explaining that primary routes carry emergency vehicles and commerce and therefore cannot be delayed.

Deputy Director Olu Sheyi Olubenle described changes taken after last winter's service gaps: solicitation waivers to keep contractor lists open year‑round, more heavy vehicles, expanded situational awareness reporting to the council and public-facing tracking. "We have an enhanced 3‑0‑1 strategy, increase our agency partnerships, have a few new snow programs and improved communications," Olubenle said. She also reminded councilmembers that situational awareness reports (SAR) are being sent and offered to troubleshoot distribution to staff.

On vehicle tracking and public maps, DPW&T cautioned that the Automated Vehicle Locator (ABL) shows whether a truck serviced a road within a recent window, not whether a road is fully cleared. Director Johnson said a corrupted configuration file last season caused gaps in reported transponder data but that IT has fixed the problem and made disabling transponders more difficult: "Now we have fixed that configuration file," he said, and the system was tested during dry runs.

DPW&T also clarified the county's 311 timing. Deputy Olubenle said the call center will open for complaints 24 hours after officials announce the snow has stopped countywide, a change from the two‑day delay used after the prior storm: "Once the snow has stopped countywide, we will notify the director of OCR, and the call center will be open 24 hours after the snow stops." She added DPW&T has established a dedicated inspector team and trucks to manage the post‑storm 311 workload.

Councilmembers pressed operational and communications details. Councilmember Harrison urged stronger outreach on parking behavior and local media engagement; DPW&T said it has scheduled interviews with local channels and will distribute social‑media toolkits and plow‑tracking clips for council use. On residential constraints, staff said larger 10‑wheel trucks will serve primary routes while smaller 4x4 and 6‑wheel vehicles — plus front‑end loaders where vehicles block cul‑de‑sacs — will be used to complete residential service.

DPW&T said contractor capacity has increased compared with last season. In the presentation, staff noted last season had "fewer than 310 trucks" and said this season they have "nearly 300" contractor vehicles available. Johnson urged residents to limit discretionary travel and to stock essential medications ahead of the storm.

The committee asked to be updated as forecasts change; Johnson said National Weather Service and AccuWeather briefings were being monitored and his team would relay any change in confidence or operational posture. The chair closed the snow portion of the meeting after committee members expressed thanks and moved to the next agenda items.