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DPWT outlines winter storm 'Fern' plan: pretreatment, AVL fixes and 3‑1‑1 timing
Summary
DPWT told the County Council the storm is expected to begin Saturday evening and could bring 4–13 inches plus ice; the department said it has activated a full operation, staged loaders for cul‑de‑sac clearing, pretreated roads with an enhanced 'sweet mix' and asked residents to file 3‑1‑1 snow complaints no earlier than 24 hours after snowfall stops.
The County's Department of Public Works and Transportation briefed the County Council on Jan. 23, 2026, about preparations for winter storm 'Fern,' which DPWT said is expected to start around 10 p.m. Saturday and continue through Monday, Jan. 26. The department gave a multi‑point readiness update including projected accumulations, pretreatment actions, equipment staging, and changes to public reporting protocols.
"The storm is expected to start around 10PM, tomorrow, Saturday, and to continue through Monday, January 26," Director Johnson said in the briefing. DPWT's current projections cited a broad accumulation range "from 4 inches on the low side to as high as 13 inches on the high side," with periods of sleet and freezing rain and up to 0.3 inch of ice expected, creating hazardous travel conditions.
DPWT announced the activation of a "full operation" posture, with crews working 12‑hour shifts continuously until streets reach their targeted state of clearance. The department said pretreatment had begun and highlighted an enhanced salt supply: roughly 34,000 tons of regular rock salt plus additional tonnage of an enhanced mix the presenters called "sweet mix" (a magnesium‑chloride and beet‑juice blend) used to improve ice‑melting performance while reducing corrosion.
Staff described improvements since last winter, including an open/rotating solicitation for heavy equipment and contractors to expand capacity, creation of a DPWT‑embedded 3‑1‑1 team in the command center to triage snow tickets, and repair of prior AVL (automated vehicle locator) software issues used to track plow routes. DPWT advised residents to wait to file snow‑related 3‑1‑1 complaints until 24 hours after snowfall has stopped countywide to avoid duplicate tickets and to allow the department to sequence primary, secondary and residential routes.
Council members pressed DPWT on several operational details. Councilmember Ivy asked whether the county had the right salt for extremely cold temperatures; Director Johnson replied the department had changed some of its salt mix and pretreated areas that were problematic last year. Councilmember Harrison asked about coordination with the State Highway Administration for state roads; DPWT said SHA operates differently but will assist in limited adjacent areas and that residents should be directed to DPWT as the authoritative source when questions arise.
On neighborhood clearing, DPWT acknowledged challenges where parked cars prevent plows from fully clearing cul‑de‑sacs and said heavy loaders have been staged to remove deeper accumulations by loading and hauling when necessary. For residents who are homebound or need medication, DPWT advised contacting social services or OCR rather than altering snow‑clearance sequencing.
DPWT closed by offering to provide situational awareness reports (SARs) and public tools on the county website and encouraged councilmembers and constituents to use the public plow tracker while noting it operates with a short lag. The department did not set a firm countywide completion time for all streets, saying the timeline will depend on storm intensity, icing and evolving conditions.
