WETHERSFIELD, Conn. — After a wet Monday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation is gearing up for a day-long weather event on Wednesday It could leave behind several inches of snow depending on elevation. Even though quantity isn’t an issue, it’s still all hands on deck to keep roads clear.
There’s a science to keeping state roads clear.
“We don’t want to have people out there too early. It’s really a science and that delicate balance of when we send crews out,” said Josh Morgan, a spokesman for the DOT. “There could be some impacts on the evening commute, so we just want to make sure that people who are out on the road tomorrow they just give themselves some extra time and take it slow out there.”
Wednesday, timing not quantity could be at play causing visibility issues and slushy driving during the evening commute. Salt and plow drivers spent Tuesday gearing up at the transportation department’s Wethersfield facility.
The DOT employs more than 900 drivers who operate more than 600 plow trucks. Its storm center will be busy Wednesday keeping a watch on highway cameras and sending crews out accordingly.
John Brown of Middletown drives a big rig for a living and said he’s grateful for a mild winter.
“The roads stay pretty clear, they keep the roads very well,” he said.
Whenever winter rears its head, people realize they’re unprepared and flock to stores for salt and shovels. That was the case at True Value in Wethersfield.
“This year, I vamped up and doubled down and basically nothing. These little events are helpful. We keep a lot of people safe. We sell a lot of ice melt, shovels,” said President Joseph Scarpantonio.
But this isn’t True Value’s first rodeo and they’re betting on an even busier February.
“I have a feeling we’re going to get something, quite a bit of something in February and this is just getting us ready," Scarpantonio added.
The DOT said it’s still understaffed and hiring drivers ahead of potential snow events in the coming months. For more information, click here.
Samaia Hernandez is a reporter for FOX61 News. She can be reached at shernandez@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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