Dingman Township
Pike County, Pennsylvania
PennDOT Press Release Concerning Snow Plowing and Mail Boxes
With winter here, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation reminds homeowners living along state routes to mind their mailboxes.
PennDOT’s mission throughout the winter is to maintain safe and passable roads, a spokesman said. Often, keeping roads open means plowing deep snow to the edge of roads. Since most mailboxes are placed within PennDOT’s legal right of way, it is up to the homeowners to make sure that their mailbox can withstand the weight of snow being thrown from a plow.
Normally, if a mailbox is placed as far beyond the shoulder of the highway as the postal carrier can reach and is firmly supported, it should have no problem withstanding the weight of the snow as a plow passes.
PennDOT offers these tips to help eliminate the possibility of a mailbox being damaged this winter:
§ Place a 6-8 inch piece of reflective tape on the mailbox to help snowplow operators see it at night.
§ Remove snow from around the mailbox, but avoid throwing it back onto the road.
§ If the mailbox is within the legal right-of- way and damage was experienced in the past, homeowners may want to consider relocating the mailbox before the next snowfall.
§ Make sure the mailbox is firmly supported in the ground.
Homeowners who have followed these tips in the past and still experience damaged mailboxes may want to consider installing a cantilever mailbox support that will “swing” a mailbox out of harm’s way. Plans for building the cantilever mailbox support can be obtained for free from any PennDOT office.
Snowplow operators are instructed to maintain lower speeds when plowing in areas where mailboxes are present; however, higher speeds occasionally must be maintained to contend with heavy, wet snow.
Taking steps to ensure the visibility and stability of mailboxes will help PennDOT and postal carriers deliver their best this winter. For more information, visit www.neparoads.com