Putnam County travel advisory reduced to 'watch' level

As of 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 8, the travel advisory level for Putnam County has changed to a watch (level 2).

Although this is a step down from the warning the county has been under since Sunday, conditions remain threatening to the safety of the public.

During a watch local travel advisory, only essential travel, such as to and from work or in emergency situations, is recommended, and emergency action plans should be implemented by businesses, schools, government agencies, and other organizations.

The reduction in advisory level coincides with local officials making more headway with emergency conditions on county roadways.

The Putnam County Highway Department was working on having main county roads cleared by Tuesday evening, with work on secondary roads to begin Wednesday morning.

While additional snow has not been added since Sunday's foot of snowfall, sub-zero temperatures and winds complicated the road clearing efforts on Monday and Tuesday.

As temperatures rose, officials began making more headway, making Wednesday morning's declaration possible.

Even with the Level 2 advisory in place, all Putnam County School remained closed on Wednesday.

Some entities returning to business are Putnam County offices, City of Greencastle offices and DePauw University, which has delayed the beginning of winter term by two days.