Snowplows clear piles of snow from a road in Jilin province. [Photo/cnjiwang.com]

Transportation departments in Northeast China's Jilin province mobilized more than 13,000 employees and over 12,000 snowplows to clear the roads and ensure road safety following last week's heavy snowfall.

Expressway management and maintenance units organized 5,635 people and 3,354 vehicles to tackle the accumulated snow -- both during day and at night -- and a customer service center closely monitored and regularly released reports on weather and road conditions, boosting communications and dealing with a succession of emergencies.

As of 1 pm on Nov 23, the province's expressway traffic had mostly returned to normal and 44.45 million cubic meters of snow had been removed.

The management departments in charge of regular roads also directed the removal of snow and the emplacement of anti-skid measures in a timely manner, rostering staff to be on duty in 24-hour shifts.

A total of 7,598 people and 8,732 vehicles were organized for that work, clearing away more than 1,200 fallen trees and over 5,500 broken frozen branches.

By 1 pm on Nov 23, the province's road traffic had normalized, aside from several passenger transport routes operating in Dehui and Fuyu cities.