Lake-effect blast stymies snowbelt traffic

[In the player above, watch related FOX 8 News coverage on snow plow response in Lake County.]

CONNEAUT, Ohio (WJW) – Even the sea ice warning that was in effect Friday night didn’t prepare experienced drivers in Ashtabula County for the conditions they faced on Interstate 90 between Ashtabula and Conneaut.

“The streets are terrible, everything is bad. You know, people stuck in the middle of nowhere. A lot of the roads have not been plowed or plowed and now they are completely closed,” Larry Dougherty of Ashtabula told FOX 8 News.

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Krista Kohut from Conneaut told us, “The driving was very scary because there were people passing you and I must have seen about eight to nine cars in the ditches.”

Kohut said if you think you’ve had a rough day, consider what he experienced Friday after driving to Cleveland for a doctor’s appointment.

“When I left Conneaut, there were 12 snows. I went to Cleveland. Coming back, it took me about two hours and I’m not home. It was scary,” he said.

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The Ohio Department of Transportation said they will be increasing the number of crews assigned to clear the roads in Ashtabula County each night from 18 to 25, hoping they can stay one step ahead of the snow.

If the forecasted amount of snow is correct, good-natured Ashtabula County residents said it will be a few days to sit at home in front of the fire and watch football.

“I’m positive about it. You know, it’s Northeast Ohio. These are things we’ve dealt with years ago and we’re going to deal with them again,” Dougherty said with a smile.

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