Icy Hills and River Bridges in Youngstown: What to Do When You Slide

Youngstown sits along the Mahoning River, so plenty of drives cross a bridge or climb out of the valley. The National Weather Service says bridges freeze before other surfaces. The city's own winter plan puts hills and bridges in its first round of plowing, next to the freeways. If you slide on a hill or a bridge here, stay buckled in with your hazards on. If anyone is hurt or you're in a live lane, call 911 first.

Why do hills and bridges give Youngstown drivers trouble?

Youngstown is in the Mahoning Valley. After the last ice age, glaciers left a flat plain here, and the Mahoning River cut a valley across it. The city grew up along the river. Youngstown State University sits north of downtown. A freeway loop, built from I-680 and two expressways, wraps around both.

So a trip across town often means crossing the river or climbing out of its valley. Every river crossing is a bridge. Every climb out is a hill. Those are the two kinds of road the city itself flags for early winter work.

Bridges freeze first

A bridge has open air under it, so cold air hits the deck from above and below. The road on solid ground still holds some warmth from the earth. That's how a bridge can glaze over while the pavement just before it is only wet.

Hills are on the city's first list

The Youngstown Street Department posts the order its crews follow in a storm. Round one is the freeways, all primary roads, hills and bridges, plus the roads to Mercy Health Main Campus. Side streets come next, then rural streets. Crews pretreat expressways and bridges when snow or ice is in the forecast. During winter weather they work around the clock, in two 12-hour shifts.

Treated pavement can still refreeze once the sun drops, and side streets wait for round two. Before a storm drive, open the city's live plow tracker on your phone, and check OHGO for crashes and closures.

When does ice form in the Mahoning Valley?

A day that stays below freezing keeps snow packed and dry. The slick days are the ones that melt in the afternoon and freeze again at night. Melt runs down hills and across bridges, then sets hard. The weather service says black ice is most common in the early morning. It's often clear, so you see the dark road right through it.

NOAA keeps 30-year normals for Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport. This table puts freezing nights next to days that never get above freezing. The gap between them is the number of days that thaw, then freeze again.

Month	Nights at or below 32°F	Days that stay at or below 32°F	Thaw, then freeze
October	3.5	0.0	3.5
November	15.1	1.7	13.4
December	24.7	9.4	15.3
January	26.7	14.7	12.0
February	23.9	10.8	13.1
March	22.2	4.5	17.7
April	9.3	0.2	9.1

Look at March. It has the most thaw and freeze days of the year, close to 18. Yet its snow normal is 10.5 inches, about half of January's 19.6. From November through April, about 80 days freeze at night and warm up by day. And it starts early. October already averages 3.5 freezing nights, with less than an inch of snow. Ice can show up before your first real snowfall. Don't let bare snowbanks fool you in spring, either.

How do you drive a Youngstown hill or bridge on ice?

On ice, do everything slowly and early.

• Slow down before the bridge, not on it. The weather service warns that changing speed on ice is dangerous. Brake while your tires still sit on the road before the deck.
• Ease into the brakes. Don't slam them. Leave cruise control off all winter.
• Leave a long gap on a climb. If the car ahead stalls halfway up, you want room to keep rolling. Stopping partway up an icy hill can leave your tires spinning in place.
• Go down slow from the top. Pick a low gear and a crawl before the slope starts, so you're not braking hard halfway down.
• Hang back from plows. The weather service says to stay especially far from them.

If the car starts to skid anyway, the weather service says to stay calm and lift your foot off the gas. Steer toward where you want the nose of the car to point. With anti-lock brakes, press the pedal with steady pressure. Never pump anti-lock brakes.

You slid off on a hill. What should you do first?

1. Check on everyone. If anyone is hurt, or your car blocks a live lane, call 911 first. Sentinel is not an emergency service.
2. Tell 911 where you are in words. Youngstown police say a cell call to 911 won't show your exact location, and a text to 911 won't work. Give the street, the nearest cross street and any landmark you can see.
3. Stay buckled in with the hazards on. The next car down the hill may hit the same patch you did.
4. Set the parking brake on a slope. Keep your foot off the gas. Spinning tires polish the ice and can dig you in deeper.
5. Don't climb out to walk the hill. Icy pavement on a grade is hard to stand on, and drivers see you less outside the car.
6. Need a trooper, but it's not an emergency? The Ohio State Highway Patrol lists #677 for assistance.

Ohio's Move Over law helps once help shows up. Drivers must move over and slow down for any vehicle stopped beside the road with flashing lights, any color. ODOT's page names tow trucks, and it says the law covers every road, city streets included. Still, a driver coming down an icy hill may not stop in time. Stay inside until your driver says it's safe.

What if snow keeps falling while you wait?

Stay with the car. The weather service's tips for drivers stuck in a storm come down to this:

• Keep the tailpipe clear of snow, so fumes can't build up inside.
• Run the motor 10 minutes or so each hour for heat, with a window open a crack.
• After dark, switch on the dome light whenever the motor is running.
• Tie something bright, red if you have it, to the antenna or a door.
• Once the snow stops, lift the hood. It signals that you need help.

Which Mill Creek Park roads close in winter?

Mill Creek Park spans the South Side and West Side. In recent winters, Mill Creek MetroParks has shut a few park drives to cars for the season. Its last posted winter notice, from December 2024, closed these:

• High Drive, from Chestnut Hill Drive to West Cohasset Drive
• Chestnut Hill Drive, from Canfield Road to High Drive
• Calvary Run Drive, from Belle Vista Avenue to Milton Avenue

The park's notice gives a plain warning. Roads with limited shoulders, no guardrails and steep grades get more dangerous for drivers when snow and ice make them slippery. Closing these drives also saves on snow and ice removal and cuts harm from road salt. The closed drives stay open for hiking, cross-country skiing and sledding. They reopen in spring, when the weather allows. Check the park's notices for this winter's dates.

A second set of closures runs all year. On December 29, 2025, the city closed several park roads for the Mill Creek Sewer Improvements Project, for an estimated two years. The list includes Calvary Run Drive from South Belle Vista to Price Road, plus parts of Tod Avenue, Weaver Road, Price Road, Milton Avenue, West Glacier Drive and West Drive. Detour signs are posted.

Phone maps don't always know about a closure. Never drive around a barricade on a snowy park road.

Can you leave a slid car on a Youngstown street overnight?

Not during a snow emergency. Youngstown calls one when at least 4 inches of snow falls in one 24-hour stretch. Once it's declared, parking on the street is banned so plows can pass. A car left at the curb can be towed, and the owner pays. The one exception is for homes on narrow streets or alleys, 25 feet or less across, with no driveway.

So if your car slid into a curb and won't go, get it moved. Sentinel doesn't do impounds or police tows. If a jump or a winch-out can't get it rolling, a tow to your shop clears the street.

Do you need a winch-out, a jump start or a tow?

• Slid into a snowbank or a shallow ditch, with no damage? Ask for a winch-out. It covers cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups that a truck can reach from the road. If the car went far down a bank or a hillside, that's a job for a heavy recovery company. We'll say so before anyone is sent.
• Car sat out through a hard freeze and now only clicks? Try a jump start first.
• It hit a curb, pulls to one side, leaks or won't steer straight? Don't nurse it up an icy hill. Get car towing to the shop you choose.

How does Sentinel help after a slide?

Sentinel Towing is a towing and roadside network. We don't own trucks. A vetted local partner tow company does the work. You tell us what happened and where, and we text your price before anyone is dispatched. That price is the most you pay for the job you described. If a winch-out turns into a tow, you get a new price by text first, and you choose. Your driver's name, photo and truck come by text, and you can track your truck on a map. We check on you by text until it arrives. Every term is in our Stay-With-You Promise. For the neighborhoods and towns we cover, see our Youngstown towing page.

Stuck right now? Call 1-888-TOW-1213, or request help online.

Youngstown Ice Questions

Rules change, so check the official source before you rely on it. Sources: NWS: ice and black ice, NWS: winter driving tips, NWS: caught in a winter storm, NOAA monthly normals, Youngstown-Warren, City of Youngstown Street Department, Youngstown plow tracker, Youngstown Police Department, Mill Creek MetroParks: winter road closures, Mill Creek MetroParks: sewer project closures, ODOT Move Over, Ohio State Highway Patrol help center, OHGO.