UTICA, N.Y. - The New York State Department of Transportation is working around the clock to keep the roadways as clear as possible.

The DOT started preparing earlier this week.

"We started doing pre-treating of the highways, getting all the machinery ready, making sure the maintenance is done," Jim Piccola with NYSDOT said. "One of the other things we did in preparation is put the salt brine down on the roads, we've been doing that the last day or two."

Piccola is no stranger to preparing for winter storms. He says there are plenty of trucks out to clear the roads.

"Right now, it's just kind of waiting for the event to happen, and we'll react," Piccola said. “This is considered the Oneida east residency; in Oneida county we have two residencies and two sub residencies and in this residency, we have 18 trucks that are dedicated to their beats in this area.”

As COVID-19 cases rise, the DOT has been taking extra precautions to make sure their drivers are healthy and able to treat the roadways.

"We staff 24/7, as different crews come in, the trucks are all sanitized," Piccola said. "Right now, we haven't had too many issues and if we need, we have backup plans to take care of it. All of our guys have been tested, we have enough guys here for this event."

With a lot of people working from home and many schools remote, there shouldn't be that much traffic on the roads, but if you do have to go out, just take it easy.

"During the event, if our folks are out there plowing, please give the plow some room because we want to take care of those roads and get you to where you want to go safely," Piccola said. "If the roads are very bad, stay home if you can."