Beech Tree News Network

State of emergency declared, travel is not advised

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Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 3 crews are bracing for a frigid winter weather system to move into the area later today. A state of emergency was declared by Gov. Andy Beshear yesterday. The entire District 3 area has been placed under a Winter Weather Advisory by the National Weather Service -Louisville from 5 p.m. tonight until noon Friday. The advisory warns of wind chill factors of -20 degrees, snow accumulations of one to three inches, and slick travel conditions.

Travel is not advised during this winter weather event. Crews from each county in the District 3 area have spent the week prepping equipment, making brine, and loading salt. Some KYTC vehicles might be on the road earlier in the day so please be on the lookout for them and give them plenty of space. The District 3 Snow & Ice Team continues to monitor weather forecasts and expects crews from each county to report back early this evening.

Crews will do their very best to make the roads as safe as possible, however, temperatures could dictate a pause for some road treatment operations overnight. Downed tree limbs and other debris on roadways are also a concern due to possible ice build-up and high winds.

Motorists are reminded to adjust driving behavior to meet localized weather conditions as the weather system moves through. Motorists are advised to monitor the developing forecast via area news media outlets or go to the National Weather Service Louisville Office page at US National Weather Service Louisville Kentucky | Facebook.

Just as highway crews prep their equipment for snow and ice, motorists are asked to check the conditions of vehicles to ensure it is winter weather ready.

Tips on putting together a winter travel kit for your vehicle can be found at www.ready.gov/Winter. Snow Priority Route maps and additional tips for winter driving are available at SnowKY.KY.Gov.

To get traffic advisories and alerts via email go to Kentucky Transportation Cabinet - Sign-up for District 3 news releases (govdelivery.com) and click on counties in Kentucky you regularly drive through or on any of the specialty corridors you travel. 

Timely traffic advisories for the 10 counties of District 3 are available by going to https://www.facebook.com/kytcdistrict3 and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/KYTCDistrict3.