(January 9, 2014) – Although temperatures are forecasted to rise above freezing on Friday afternoon, an overnight storm system may bring icy conditions to Maryland just in time for the Friday morning commute. The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) is closely monitoring the storm.

“SHA is prepared to respond and treat roads overnight and through Friday morning’s rush hour,” said SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters. “The commute could be problematic since the light snow is forecasted to changeover to sleet and freezing rain. Please plan extra travel time or alter your schedule – and Know Before You Go by checking www.MD511.org or calling 511.”

Freezing rain has the potential to bring down trees and power lines causing traffic signal outages. Should motorists come upon a traffic signal that is out, State law requires ALL traffic to stop and treat the intersection as a four-way stop.

Over the last few days, SHA crews have filled potholes along state roads that formed during the freeze-thaw cycle. As the temperatures get warmer, potholes will form. Crews will resume pothole repair after snow and ice removal operations.  Motorists may report potholes in need of repair by contacting SHA at http://bit.ly/1hzPnhS.

The latest traffic information is available by calling 5-1-1 from a hands-free device or logging onto www.md511.org and following SHA on Facebook and Twitter for road updates.