The Ohio Department of Transportation is setting expectations ahead of a severe storm set to impact the Mahoning Valley. 

“You're going to see some snow-covered roads this weekend,” said Justin Chesnic, an ODOT public information officer. “Rest assured, our crews are out there.”

ODOT and the Ohio State Highway Patrol will go all-hands-on-deck in response to the wicked winter weather slamming the eastern half of the country. 

ODOT crews are responsible for clearing all state, interstate and U.S. routes outside of municipalities. That includes major highways in the area, such as I-80, I-680 and State Route 11. About 20 ODOT crews will be dispatched in Mahoning County, and 25 in Trumbull County, starting Saturday evening. 

According to Chesnic, those drivers are already going through their assigned routes over the next couple of days — though many of them won’t need to lay down any new salt before the storm. 

“We have a lot of residual salt down on the roadway, so we don't really have to pre-treat,” Chesnic explained. “We may pre-treat a little bit on those bridges and ramps and things like that that can get a little bit slippery first.” 

Even with full-force coverage, clearing the roads will be an uphill battle due to the extreme cold temperatures, he said, adding that the realistic goal for crews this weekend is “passable, but not perfect.” 

“Salt loses its effectiveness once you drop below 20 degrees. We're going to be in the teens, maybe single digits, wind chill below zero,” Chesnic said. “So we're going to have some additives, like calcium chloride, that we're going to be adding to our salt that will help, but it's going to take a little bit longer to clear everything.”

As up to a foot of snow meets sub-zero wind chills in parts of the region, Lieutenant David Zatvarnicky of the Warren OSP post told 21 News even the most experienced drivers should rethink their travel plans. 

“I think it's an invincibility type of complex, where everybody feels like, ‘This won't happen to me’ — until it happens to you,” Zatvarnicky said. 

While officials urge everyone to stay home unless absolutely necessary, those who do need to travel should go early and go slow, he added. In the event of a road emergency, drivers should dial 9-1-1 for emergency services or #-6-7-7 to reach OSP.

“If you call, the Highway Patrol will be there for you — but obviously this is an opportunity where there could be quite a few incidents, so you could be waiting for emergency services to get to you,” Zatvarnicky warned. 

By Monday, Chesnic said the roads should be driveable enough for the morning commute, though drivers will still need to leave early.