VERNON, Conn — Residents across Connecticut are getting ready for a winter storm Friday. They are hoping that municipalities and the state Department of Transportation will be more prepared for this snow event than they were for Wednesday’s ice-over.
In Vernon, about 25 Department of Public Works workers in 15 front-line plow trucks will be working around the clock Friday to clear about 125 miles of road.
They will start with the main roads before dealing with the side streets. It’s a backbreaking process that is made easier when you pre-treat.
“Vernon usually gets its fair share of snow,” said Dwight Ryniewicz, the town’s DPW director told FOX61 News.
Vernon is Tolland County’s most populous town. They are in the bullseye for a higher snow total Friday as eastern Connecticut is under a winter storm warning. Their preparation begins with pre-treatment.
Vernon showed FOX61 their brine maker machine – think of it as a sort of salt jacuzzi bath. They use it to pre-treat the roads before the snowfalls.
It automatically calculates the ratio of water to salt and lays down a layer that heats the road up before it’s too late.
“Pre-treatment is really important just because of what happened yesterday morning,” said Ryniewicz.
Pre-treating is what the state DOT didn’t do Wednesday. They said they’ll be better prepared on Friday.
“We can handle snow a lot better than we can handle an ice storm,” said CT DOT Commissioner Joe Giuletti.
But like everything these days, COVID-19 plays a role. About 80 DOT workers turned up positive last week and over 400 were in quarantine including bus drivers and train conductors.
“Before, the easy message was avoid going on the highways and use public transportation. The message this Friday is to pay attention to the news media,” said Giuletti.
Back in Vernon, the salt shed is stocked and where residents who need it can grab their own mixture for free from a nearby yellow dumpster. People told FOX61 they will be doing everything they can to stay home.
“Working from home as much as I can. Just trying to stay off the roads. Luckily, since COVID hit I’m so used to working from home and I have that option so I prefer to be in the office but if I have to stay home, I will,” said Kylene Ley of Manchester.
In Vernon, they have also implemented a parking ban that goes into effect at midnight and remains in effect until 6 p.m. Friday.
Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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