PLOWING THROUGH WINTER

So, how have you been enjoying this winter so far?  We’ve already had eight inches of snow in Hartford, compounded by heavy winds, downed power lines and wind-chills in the single digits.  February is the cruelest of months.

But thanks to local and CDOT road crews, our highways get cleared and we can, though bundled up, get on with our business.

Before a storm hits local TV stations do the inevitable lame stories showing salt being loaded into trucks and road crews honing their plows.  But preparing for winter and snow removal is something that takes many months of planning. 

Take my little town of Darien, for example.

Since 2014 Ed Gentile has led a small but capable army of 22 DPW workers operating seven large trucks, seven “low boys” and five pick-ups all equipped with salt spreaders.  When conditions warrant, the town can also call in private contractors.

Gentile starts planning his snow budget more than a year before the first flakes fall. “I look back over the last five years for patterns.  But having lived my whole life in New England I know how unpredictable winter can be,” says Gentile.

He even admits to checking what the Old Farmer’s Almanac predicts, but tempers those prophesies with a private meteorological service as well as AccuWeather and Weather Underground apps.

At the first hint of snow in the forecast, Gentile choreographs his staff and equipment for maximum effect.

On weekdays his target is to clear streets by 6 am so commuters can get to the train and school buses can make their rounds.  “Go time” for his crews is usually around 3 am.

Salting of roads doesn’t happen until the first snow hits the ground.  Some steeper hills get treated with brine, a mix of salt and water, but DEEP doesn’t allow sand in this part of the state due to run-off into catch basins and Long Island Sound.

The town (population 20,000) buys 1000 to 1500 tons of salt each year, literally shipped to New Haven harbor.  Current salt prices are $78 a ton.

By 5 am the DPW Director is on the phone with the Superintendent of Schools confirming start time for classes or possible delays.  Though kids may be able to get to school, teachers and staff driving from upstate may not be as lucky.

When there’s an inch of snow on the ground, the plowing begins along eleven routes already familiar to drivers who practice in good weather with their full gear.  That helps minimize damage like ripped-up curbs, front lawns and chopped-off mailboxes.

The town is responsible for 81 miles of local streets while CDOT tends to state highways like Route 1, I-95 and the Merritt Parkway.  Gentile says the two armies work together seamlessly.

After a storm the DPW folks return to parking lots to load their plowed mountains of snow into trucks for removal to the town dump for eventual melting.  Though the town has two beaches, snow is not dumped there to avoid polluting the pristine waters of LI Sound.

February is almost done but winter can last for many more weeks, keeping road crews like Gentile’s busy across the state.  So, give them room to do their job keeping you safe.