As of Sunday, Dec. 14, all speed limit reductions and road restrictions have been canceled.

Due to winter weather impacting the region, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) had temporarily reduced the speed limit on I-79 and I-80 in Mercer, Venango and Crawford counties, PennDOT said in a Saturday afternoon news release.

PennDOT is urging motorists to avoid unnecessary travel, but those who must head out will see speeds reduced to 45 mph on the following highways:

  • Interstate 79 from Exit 105 (Route 108, Slippery Rock) in Butler County to Exit 166 (Route 6N, Albion/Edinboro) in Erie County.
  • Interstate 80 from the Ohio state line to Exit 73 (Route 949, Corsica) in Jefferson County
  • Interstate 376 from the beginning point in Mercer County to the ending point in Allegheny County. 

Although PennDOT crews have been treating roadways, the release states that the department's primary goal is to keep roads passable, and they will not be completely free of ice and snow. PennDOT also stated that they will continue to treat roadways throughout the storm until precipitation stops and roads are clear.

On roadways with speed restrictions, commercial vehicles not affected by restrictions on these or other roads must move to the right lane.

While PennDOT recommends not traveling during winter storms, motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles, including color-coded winter conditions on 2,900 miles online. The length of the reduced limits is unknown at this time.